Patent ID: 7088412
Filing Date: 2006-08-08
Classification: G02F

Abstract:
1. A liquid crystal display apparatus, comprising: a pair of substrates, at least one of which is transparent; a liquid crystal layer arranged between said pair of substrates; a plurality of electrodes formed on one substrate of said pair of substrates for applying an electric field substantially in parallel to a face of said one substrate, and plural active elements connected to the electrodes; an alignment control layer formed on a face of at least one of said pair of substrates and being in contact with said liquid crystal layer; an optical means for changing an optical characteristic in response to a molecular alignment condition of said liquid crystal layer; wherein a surface of the alignment control layer on said at least one of said pair of substrates which is in contact with said liquid crystal layer has stepped difference portions; a ratio a/d between a height a of a maximum one of said stepped difference portions and a maximum thickness d of said liquid crystal layer between said pair of substrates on which the alignment control layer having stepped difference portions is provided on at least one of said pair of substrates has a range of 0.02–1; a ratio a/b of a taper portion of said stepped difference portions is less than 1, where b is a width of said taper portion; and said alignment control layer is made of a material enabling a liquid crystal alignment capability according to a polarization light radiation in a vicinity of said stepped difference portions according to said polarization light radiation.