Patent ID: 8339556

Claim:
An electro-optical device, comprising: a plurality of substrates which are opposed to and parallel to each other; a medium layer sandwiched between the plurality of substrates; a pair of polarizing plates which are arranged so that absorption axes thereof are substantially orthogonal to each other with the medium layer sandwiched between the pair of polarizing plates; and a plurality of electrode groups including a plurality of transparent electrodes having an interdigit shape which are formed on at least two of the plurality of substrates in at least one pixel of the electro-optic device and arranged substantially parallel to each other, the plurality of electrode groups formed on one of the at least two of the plurality of substrates being separate from one another, and the plurality of electrode groups formed on another of the at least two of the plurality of substrates being separate from one another; the electro-optical device controlling light transmission and interception by an electric field applied to the plurality of electrode groups, wherein: the medium layer includes a medium substantially having optical-isotropy with absence of an electric field and exhibiting optical-anisotropy along with an applied electric field; and the optical-anisotropy is imparted to the medium layer by applying an electric field to a region of the medium layer including regions above the plurality of transparent electrodes in a direction normal to the plurality of substrates by at least two of the plurality of electrode groups; wherein any of the interdigit portions of any of the plurality of electrode groups formed in the at least one pixel on the one of the at least two of the plurality of substrates is arranged so as to avoid overlap with any of the interdigit portions of any of the plurality of electrode groups formed in the at least one pixel on the another of the at least two of the plurality of substrates in the direction normal to the plurality of substrates.