Patent ID: 8164722

Claim:
A liquid-crystal display device comprising: a liquid-crystal cell comprising a pair of transparent substrates and a liquid-crystal layer, disposed between said pair of transparent substrates, comprising liquid-crystal molecules; and a first optically-anisotropic layer, a second optically-anisotropic layer, a third optically-anisotropic layer and a polarizing element as disposed on each side of the liquid-crystal cell in this order from the liquid-crystal cell; which satisfies the following conditions (1) to (6): (1) Δnd, where Δn is birefringence of the liquid-crystal layer under no driving voltage application thereto, and d is the thickness (nm) of the liquid-crystal layer, satisfies 500 nm<Δnd<1300 nm; (2) the first optically-anisotropic layer comprises molecules aligned in the direction determined by an alignment axis and fixed in the alignment state, and the angle between the projection axes of the alignment axis and the transmission axis of either of the pair of polarizing elements, as projected on one plane, is from 40° to 50°; (3) in-plane retardation (Re) of the first optically-anisotropic at a wavelength of 550 nm is from 20 to 50 nm; (4) in-plane retardation, Re[+40°], of the first optically-anisotropic layer, as measured in a first direction inclined at 40° toward the layer plane of the first optically-anisotropic layer relative to the normal line of the layer, and in-plane retardation, Re[−40°], of the first optically anisotropic layer, as measured in a second direction inclined at 40° oppositely toward the layer plane of the first optically-anisotropic layer relative to the normal line of the layer from, satisfy the following formula (II) or (II′): when Re[+40°]>Re[−40°] is satisfied, 3 ≦Re[+ 40 °]/Re[− 40°]≦20 (II) when Re[+40°]<Re[−40°] is satisfied, 3 ≦Re[− 40°]/ Re[+ 40°]≦20 (II′); where the first and second directions are directions in a same plane that includes both of the normal line to the first optically anisotropic layer and an in-plane direction at 90° relative to the slow axis of in-plane retardation of the first optically-anisotropic layer; (5) in-plane retardation (Re) of the second optically-anisotropic layer at a wavelength of 550 nm satisfies 0<|Re|≦40 nm, and the thickness-direction retardation (Rth) thereof at a wavelength of 550 nm satisfies 0 nm<Rth<(Δnd of liquid-crystal layer)/2; (6) in-plane retardation (Re) of the third optically-anisotropic layer at a wavelength of 550 nm satisfies 0<|Re|≦300 nm, and the thickness-direction retardation (Rth) thereof at a wavelength of 550 nm satisfies −100 nm<Rth<(Δnd of liquid-crystal layer)/2.