A method of fabricating an electrically-controlled birefringence cell. The cell has a cell gap no more than 20 micrometers. The cell has an alignment layer arranged to impart a pretilt on liquid crystal in contact with the alignment layer. The method comprises processing the alignment layer to achieve a surface anchoring value between the liquid crystal and alignment layer of less than 1 mJ/m.sup.2.

This liquid crystal display device has a plurality of pixels. Each pixel in the plurality of pixels includes first to fourth alignment regions; these first to fourth alignment regions are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the pixels, and the difference between any two alignment orientations in the first to fourth alignment regions is approximately equal to an integer multiple of 90 degrees. Of the pre-tilt angles defined by a first alignment film and a second alignment film in each of the first to fourth alignment regions, one pre-tilt angle is less than 90 degrees and the other pre-tilt angle is substantially 90 degrees. The optical alignment film is formed using a polymer having an optical alignment group in the side chain, and the content of the optical alignment group in the side chain of the polymer is less than 1.1 mmol/g.

The liquid crystal display panel includes a first vertical alignment film (20), a liquid crystal layer (30), and a second vertical alignment film (40). First and second high-pretilt angle regions (21a, 21b) of the first vertical alignment film (20) are opposed to first and second high-pretilt angle regions (41a, 41b) of the second vertical alignment film (40), and are shorter in length than the first and second high-pretilt angle regions (41a, 41b) of the second vertical alignment film (40) in a direction along the longitudinal direction of the pixel region 101. First and second high-pretilt angle regions (23a, 23b) of the first vertical alignment film (20) are opposed to first and second high-pretilt angle regions (43a, 43b) of the second vertical alignment film (40), and are shorter in length than the first and second high-pretilt angle regions (43a, 43b) of the second vertical alignment film (40) in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the pixel region (101).

A liquid crystal display panel includes in the following order: a first substrate including pixel electrodes; a liquid crystal layer containing liquid crystal molecules; and a second substrate including a counter electrode, the liquid crystal display panel including pixels each including at least four alignment regions of a first alignment region, a second alignment region, a third alignment region, and a fourth alignment region, the four alignment regions providing different tilt azimuths to the liquid crystal molecules, the first alignment region, the second alignment region, the third alignment region, and the fourth alignment region being arranged in the given order in a longitudinal direction of each pixel, the first alignment region and the second alignment region providing tilt azimuths approximately 180° different from each other to the liquid crystal molecules or the third alignment region and the fourth alignment region providing tilt azimuths approximately 180° different from each other to the liquid crystal molecules.

A display device includes a substrate, a thin film transistor positioned on the substrate, a pixel electrode connected to the thin film transistor, an alignment layer positioned on the pixel electrode, a liquid crystal layer including liquid crystal molecules formed on the alignment layer and positioned in a plurality of microcavities, a roof layer positioned such that the roof layer is spaced apart from the pixel electrode with a microcavity interposed therebetween, and an overcoat positioned on the roof layer and covering a trench positioned between the plurality of microcavities, in which in the liquid crystal layer, a pre-tilt angle manifestation group positioned to be adjacent to the alignment layer is formed, and the pre-tilt angle manifestation group includes a polymer of a compound represented by Chemical Formula 1.

According to one embodiment, a liquid crystal element includes a first transparent substrate, a second transparent substrate, and a first liquid crystal layer cured. The first liquid crystal layer contains first cholesteric liquid crystal and has a reflective surface which reflects first circularly polarized light having a first wavelength. A first helical axis of the first cholesteric liquid crystal is tilted in a uniform direction over an entire area of the first liquid crystal layer. Each of a first outer surface of the first transparent substrate and a second outer surface of the second transparent substrate forms an interface which totally reflects the first circularly polarized light reflected in the first liquid crystal layer.

An alignment film includes a first pre-tilt functional group, a second pre-tilt functional group and a first vertical alignment functional group, which are linked to polysiloxane on a substrate. The first vertical alignment functional group includes a cyclic compound and is aligned substantially perpendicularly to the substrate. The first pre-tilt functional group is cross-linked to the second pre-tilt functional group and tilted with respect to the substrate.

A liquid crystal display includes first and second substrates; first and second electrodes provided on the first and second substrates respectively; and a liquid crystal layer provided between the first and second substrates. The first electrode includes first openings each having an elongated shape in a first direction and which are arranged with regularity, and a short side edge thereof is longer than a length between the first openings adjacent in the first direction. The second electrode includes second openings each having an elongated shape in the first direction and which are arranged with regularity, and a short side edge thereof is longer than a length between the second openings adjacent in the first direction. Each of the first and second openings has a recess in at least either of two outer edge parts along the first direction in a planar view.

A liquid crystal display device includes: a first substrate; a shielding electrode disposed on the first substrate and which extends in a first direction; a pixel electrode disposed on a same layer as the shielding electrode and insulated from the shielding electrode; a common electrode which overlaps the shielding electrode and the pixel electrode in a thickness direction of the first substrate; and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the common electrode and the pixel and shielding electrodes. The liquid crystal layer includes a first liquid crystal molecule disposed in a first region between the shielding electrode and the pixel electrode, and the first liquid crystal molecule is pre-tilted to have an azimuthal angle in a range of about zero degree to about +45 degrees or in a range of about −45 degrees to about zero degree, based on the first direction.

The present invention relates to a controllable diffraction device for a light modulator device. The controllable diffraction device comprises at least two substrates, at least one electrode on each of said substrates facing each other, and liquid crystals forming at least one liquid crystal layer arranged between said electrodes on said substrates. The orientation of the liquid crystals is controllable by a voltage supplied to the electrodes. The liquid crystal layer is provided on at least one alignment layer arranged on at least one electrode on said substrates. The liquid crystals close to the alignment layer are pre-oriented by at least one pre-tilt angle relative to the alignment layer such that the resulting light diffraction in opposite spatial directions is approximately equal.