Liquid crystal display-specific substrate having a phase difference control function, and liquid crystal display using the same

Abstract

The invention is concerned with a liquid crystal display capable of high-contrast displays, in which a phase difference control layer is positioned directly on a liquid crystal layer side of a substrate forming a part of an LCD, thereby canceling interfacial reflection due to an adhesive material. At least one of a positive uniaxial phase layer a comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and having an optical axis within a layer plane and a negative uniaxial phase layer c comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and having an optical axis in a normal direction to that layer plane is patterned on the inner surface at least one of of transparent substrates 1 and 1 ′ with a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between them.

What we claim is:  
     
         1 . A liquid crystal display-specific substrate having a phase difference control function, used for transparent substrates with a liquid crystal layer in a liquid crystal display sandwiched between said transparent substrates, wherein: 
 at least one of a positive uniaxial phase layer comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and having an optical axis within a layer plane or a negative uniaxial phase layer comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and having an optical axis in a normal direction to said layer plane is patterned on a liquid crystal layer side.    
     
     
         2 . The liquid crystal display-specific substrate having a phase difference control function according to  claim 1 , wherein said negative uniaxial phase layer comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and having an optical axis in a normal direction to said layer plane comprises a mixture of polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and a chiral agent.  
     
     
         3 . A liquid crystal display-specific substrate having,a phase difference control function, used for transparent substrates with a liquid crystal layer in a liquid crystal display sandwiched between said transparent substrates, wherein: 
 an alignment film, a positive uniaxial phase layer comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and having an optical axis within a layer plane, and a negative uniaxial phase layer comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and having an optical axis in a normal direction to said layer plane are stacked in this order on a liquid crystal layer side.    
     
     
         4 . The liquid crystal display-specific substrate having a phase difference control function according to  claim 3 , which further comprises an additional alignment film between said positive uniaxial phase layer comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and having an optical axis within a layer plane and said negative uniaxial phase layer comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and having an optical axis in a normal direction to said layer plane.  
     
     
         5 . The liquid crystal display-specific substrate having a phase difference control function according to  claim 1 , wherein one of said positive uniaxial phase layer having an optical axis within a layer plane or said negative uniaxial phase layer having an optical axis in a normal direction to said layer plane is applied in a film state to a liquid crystal layer opposite side of said transparent substrates between which said liquid crystal layer in said liquid crystal display is sandwiched.  
     
     
         6 . The liquid crystal display-specific substrate having a phase difference control function according to any one of  claims 1  to  5 , wherein: 
 said liquid crystal display-specific substrate having a phase difference control function, obtained by patterning of at least one of a positive uniaxial phase layer comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and having an optical axis within a layer plane or a negative uniaxial phase layer comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and having an optical axis in a normal direction to said layer plane, comprises three-color areas of red, green and blue, and at least one of said phase difference control layers is patterned in alignment with said three-color areas for red, green and blue.  
 
     
     
         7 . The liquid crystal display-specific substrate having a phase difference control function according to  claim 6 , wherein: 
 said positive uniaxial phase layer comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and hating an optical axis within a layer plane or said negative uniaxial phase layer comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and having an optical axis in a normal direction to said layer plane, patterned in alignment with the three-color areas of red, green and blue of a color filter, is formed of a substantially identical material with such a thickness as to be thickness of said red area>thickness of said green area>thickness of said blue area and thickness of said blue area>thickness of said green area>thickness of said red area.    
     
     
         8 . The liquid crystal display-specific substrate having a phase difference control function according to any one of  claims 1  to  7 , wherein said liquid crystal layer aligns in a vertical mode.  
     
     
         9 . The liquid crystal display-specific substrate having a phase difference control function according to  claim 8 , wherein said liquid crystal molecules used for said vertical alignment mode liquid crystal layer has a refractive index anisotropy of 0.05 to 0.30, and said polymerizable liquid crystal molecules used as said phase layers have a refractive index anisotropy of 0.05 to 0.30.  
     
     
         10 . The liquid crystal display-specific substrate having a phase difference control function according to  claim 8  or  9 , wherein said vertical alignment mode liquid crystal layer has a thickness of 1.0 μm to 6.0 μm, and said phase layers comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules have a thickness of 0.1 μm to 10.0 μm.  
     
     
         11 . A liquid crystal display comprising transparent substrates between which a liquid crystal layer is sandwiched, wherein: 
 at least one of a positive uniaxial phase layer comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and having an optical axis within a layer plane or a negative uniaxial phase layer comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and having an optical axis in a normal direction to said layer plane is patterned on an inner surface of said transparent substrates.    
     
     
         12 . The liquid crystal display according to  claim 11 , wherein said negative uniaxial phase layer comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and having an optical axis in a normal direction to said layer plane comprises a mixture of polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and a chiral agent.  
     
     
         13 . A liquid crystal display, wherein: 
 an alignment film, a positive uniaxial phase layer comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and having an optical axis within a layer plane, and a negative uniaxial phase layer comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and having an optical axis in a normal direction to said layer plane are stacked in this order on an inner surface of one of transparent substrates between which a liquid crystal layer is sandwiched.    
     
     
         14 . The liquid crystal display according to  claim 13 , which further comprises an additional alignment film between said positive uniaxial phase layer comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and having an optical axis within a layer plane and said negative uniaxial phase layer comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and having an optical axis in a normal direction to said layer plane.  
     
     
         15 . The liquid crystal display according to claim  claim 11 , wherein one of said positive uniaxial phase layer having an optical axis within a layer plane or said negative uniaxial phase layer having an optical axis in a normal direction to said layer plane is applied in a film state to a liquid crystal layer opposite side of said transparent substrates between which said liquid crystal layer is sandwiched.  
     
     
         16 . The liquid crystal display according to any one of  claims 11  to  15 , wherein: 
 said liquid crystal display-specific substrate having a phase difference control function, obtained by patterning of at least one of a positive uniaxial phase layer comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and having an optical axis within a layer plane or a negative uniaxial phase layer comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and having an optical axis in a normal direction to said layer plane, comprises three-color areas of red, green and blue, and at least one of said phase difference control layers is patterned in alignment with said three-color areas for red, green and blue.  
 
     
     
         17 . The liquid crystal display according to  claim 16 , wherein: 
 said positive uniaxial phase layer comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and having an optical axis within a layer plane or said negative uniaxial phase layer comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules and having an optical axis in a normal direction to said layer plane, patterned in alignment with the three-color areas of red, green and blue of a color filter, is formed of a substantially identical material with such a thickness as to be thickness of said red area>thickness of said green area>thickness of said blue area and thickness of said blue area>thickness of said green area>thickness of said red area.    
     
     
         18 . The liquid crystal display according to any one of  claims 11  to  17 , wherein said liquid crystal layer aligns in a vertical mode.  
     
     
         19 . The liquid crystal display according to  claim 18 , wherein said liquid crystal molecules used for said vertical alignment mode liquid crystal layer has a refractive index anisotropy of 0.05 to 0.30, and said polymerizable liquid crystal molecules used as said phase layers have a refractive index anisotropy of 0.05 to 0.30.  
     
     
         20 . The liquid crystal display according to  claim 18  or  19 , wherein said vertical alignment mode liquid crystal layer has a thickness of 1.0 μm to 6.0 μm, and said phase layers comprising polymerizable liquid crystal molecules have a thickness of 0.1 μm to 10.0 μm.