Patent ID: 7375781

Claim:
A liquid crystal display device, comprising: a first substrate; a second substrate; and a liquid crystal layer provided between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein: a plurality of picture element regions are defined in a matrix pattern including a plurality of rows extending in a first direction and a plurality of columns extending in a second direction crossing the first direction; each of the plurality of picture element regions includes a first electrode provided on one side of the first substrate that is closer to the liquid crystal layer, a second electrode provided on one side of the second substrate that is closer to the liquid crystal layer so as to oppose the first electrode, and the liquid crystal layer provided between the first electrode and the second electrode; the first electrode includes, in each of the plurality of picture element regions, a plurality of sub-electrodes, whereby the liquid crystal layer takes a vertical alignment in the absence of an applied voltage between the first electrode and the second electrode, and forms a plurality of first liquid crystal domains above the plurality of sub-electrodes of the first electrode by inclined electric fields produced around the plurality of sub-electrodes in response to a voltage applied between the first electrode and the second electrode, each of the plurality of first liquid crystal domains taking a radially-inclined orientation; each of the plurality of picture element regions includes a transmission region where an image is displayed in a transmission mode using light coming from the first substrate side, and a reflection region where an image is displayed in a reflection mode using light coming from the second substrate side; in each of the plurality of picture element regions, a thickness dr of the liquid crystal layer in the reflection region is smaller than a thickness dt of the liquid crystal layer in the transmission region, and the second substrate includes a stepped portion including an upper tier located in the reflection region, a lower tier located in the transmission region and a side surface connecting the upper tier and the lower tier to each other, the side surface of the stepped portion being located in the reflection region and covered by the second electrode; and the plurality of sub-electrodes of the first electrode are arranged in a line in the second direction, and a polarity of a voltage applied across the liquid crystal layer in a first picture element region among the plurality of picture element regions is different from a polarity of a voltage applied across the liquid crystal layer in a second picture element region among the plurality of picture element regions that belongs to the same row as that of the first picture element region and belongs to a column adjacent to a column to which the first picture element region belongs in each frame.