Patent ID: 8416377

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, 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, 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; and the liquid crystal cell displays a black screen by aligning liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer substantially vertically to the substrate surface.