Patent ID: 8137766

Claim:
A vertical alignment liquid crystal display device comprising: a vertical alignment type liquid crystal cell containing a pair of substrates each having an electrode, and liquid crystal molecules to be aligned vertically to the substrate surface when no electric voltage is applied, arranged between the substrates; two linear polarizing films arranged above and below the liquid crystal cell; first optical anisotropic elements exhibiting a retardation of 1/4 wavelength in the plane, arranged between both surfaces of the liquid crystal cell and the linear polarizing films; and at least one viewing angle compensator arranged between the linear polarizing films and the first optical anisotropic elements, wherein said viewing angle compensator comprises a homeotropic alignment liquid crystal film comprising a liquid crystalline substance containing a side chain liquid crystalline compound having an oxetanyl group, as a constituent, aligned homeotropically on an alignment substrate while the substance is in a liquid crystal state and fixed in the homeotropic alignment by allowing the oxetanyl group to react and satisfies the following requirements: [7] 0 nm≦Re 1 ≦20 nm [8] −500 nm≦Rth 1 ≦−30 nm wherein Re 1 indicates the retardation value in the plane of the homeotropic alignment liquid crystal film, Rth 1 indicates the retardation value in the thickness direction of the homeotropic alignment liquid crystal film, Re 1 and Rth 1 are defined by Rel=(Nxl−Nyl)xd 1 [nm] and Rth 1 =(Nx 1 −Nzl)xd 1 [nm], respectively wherein dl indicates the thickness of the homeotropic alignment liquid crystal film, Nx 1 and Ny 1 indicate the main refractive indices in the plane of the homeotropic alignment liquid crystal film, Nz 1 indicates the main refractive index in the thickness direction of the homeotropic alignment liquid crystal film, and Nz 1 >Nx 1 Ny 1 .