Patent ID: 8194212

Claim:
A liquid crystal display device, comprising in the following order: a first polarizer; a first birefringent layer (I); a liquid crystal cell including a liquid crystal layer interposed between a pair of substrates facing each other, a second birefringent layer (I); a birefringent layer (II); and a second polarizer, and the liquid crystal display device being free of a birefringent layer (III) between the first birefringent layer (I) and the liquid crystal cell and between the liquid crystal cell and the second birefringent layer (I), the first and second birefringent layers (I) each satisfying nx>ny≧nz, having an in-plane retardation of λ/4, and having substantially the same Nz coefficient, the birefringent layer (II) satisfying nx<ny≦nz, the birefringent layer (III) satisfying nx≈ny≧nz, wherein the first birefringent layer (I) has an in-plane slow axis forming an angle of about 45° with an absorption axis of the first polarizer; the second birefringent layer (I) has an in-plane slow axis substantially orthogonal to the in-plane slow axis of the first birefringent layer (I); the second polarizer has an absorption axis substantially orthogonal to the absorption axis of the first polarizer; the birefringent layer (II) has an in-plane fast axis substantially orthogonal to the absorption axis of the second polarizer; the LC cell displays a black screen by aligning liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer substantially vertically to the substrate surface; and the liquid crystal display device satisfies the following formulae (1), (8), and (9): 1.0≦Nzq≦2.9 (1) (169 nm× Nzq− 81 nm)−30 nm≦ Rlc (8) Rlc ≦(169 nm× Nzq− 81 nm)+30 nm (9), where the Nz coefficient of each of the first and second birefringent layers (I) is defined as Nzq; and a thickness-direction retardation of the liquid crystal cell in a black state is defined as Rlc.