Liquid crystal display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10409113-B2
Application number	US-201213569046-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 7, 2012
Priority date	Apr 19, 2012
Publication date	Sep 10, 2019
Grant date	Sep 10, 2019

Abstract

A liquid crystal display includes: a first substrate and a pixel electrode thereon, a second substrate facing the first substrate and a common electrode thereon; at least one alignment layer on at least one of the pixel electrode and the common electrode; and a liquid crystal layer between the pixel electrode and the common electrode. A pixel including the pixel electrode includes a plurality of domains including a first domain. The domains have average orientations of the liquid crystal molecules different from each other. The pixel electrode has a first opening in the first domain, and the first opening extends substantially parallel to an edge of the pixel electrode.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A liquid crystal display, comprising:
a plurality of pixels,
wherein a pixel of the plurality of pixels comprises:
a pixel electrode;
a common electrode;
at least one alignment layer on at least one of the pixel electrode and the common electrode; and
a liquid crystal layer between the pixel electrode and the common electrode, the liquid crystal layer comprising a plurality of liquid crystal molecules, and

wherein:
the pixel comprises a plurality of domains including a first domain and a second domain adjacent to each other with a boundary, each of the plurality of domains having an average orientation of the liquid crystal molecules in a plan view, the average orientations of the liquid crystal molecules of the plurality of domains being different from each other,
the boundary between the first domain and the second domain extends in a first direction,
the first domain is defined by the boundary and a first edge of the pixel electrode,
the second domain is defined by the boundary and a second edge of the pixel electrode,
the first edge and the second edge extend in the first direction and oppose each other with the boundary interposed therebetween,
the first edge is close to a tail of an average director of the first domain,
the first domain has only one continuous first opening comprising a first portion, two opposing edges of the first portion of the first opening extending in the first direction in the plan view,
the first opening is spaced apart from the first edge, and
a first distance between the first opening and the first edge is less than a second distance between the first opening and the boundary.

2. The liquid crystal display of claim 1 , wherein the first opening has a width equal to or smaller than twice a thickness of the liquid crystal layer.

3. The liquid crystal display of claim 2 , wherein the first opening is spaced apart from the first edge by a distance equal to smaller than twice the thickness of the liquid crystal layer.

4. The liquid crystal display of claim 3 , wherein the first opening further comprises a portion extending substantially in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction.

5. The liquid crystal display of claim 3 , wherein:
the first portion extends from a transverse center line of the pixel electrode,
the first opening further comprises a second portion extending from a longitudinal center line of the pixel electrode, and
the first portion and the second portion of the first opening meet each other near a corner of the pixel electrode.

6. The liquid crystal display of claim 5 , wherein the first opening is disposed near a first corner of the pixel electrode, and
the pixel electrode further has a second opening disposed at a second corner of the pixel electrode opposing the first corner in a diagonal direction of the pixel electrode.

7. The liquid crystal display of claim 6 , wherein the pixel electrode further comprises third and fourth openings disposed near third and fourth corners of the pixel electrode, respectively.

8. The liquid crystal display of claim 1 , wherein the pixel electrode comprises a cutout extending along a transverse center line of the pixel electrode, and
the cutout has a length in a transverse direction substantially parallel to the transverse center line shorter than a length of the pixel electrode in the transverse direction.

9. The liquid crystal display of claim 1 , wherein:
an entire area of the pixel is surrounded by a light blocking area, and
a portion of an edge of the pixel electrode other than the first edge overlaps the light blocking area.

10. A liquid crystal display, comprising:
a first substrate;
a second substrate facing the first substrate;
a pixel electrode on the first substrate;
a common electrode on the second substrate; and
a liquid crystal layer between the pixel electrode and the common electrode, the liquid crystal layer comprising a plurality of liquid crystal molecules,
wherein:
a pixel comprising the pixel electrode is divided into a plurality of domains including a first domain and a second domain adjacent to each other with a boundary, each of the plurality of domains has an average orientation of the liquid crystal molecules in a plan view, and the average orientations of the liquid crystal molecules of the plurality of domains are different from each other,
the boundary between the first domain and the second domain extends in a first direction,
the first domain is defined by the boundary and a first edge of the pixel electrode,
the second domain is defined by the boundary and a second edge of the pixel electrode,
the first edge and the second edge extend in the first direction and oppose each other with the boundary interposed therebetween,
the first edge is close to a tail of an average director of the first domain,
the first domain has only one continuous opening, two opposing edges of the opening extending in the first direction in the plan view,
the pixel electrode has a continuous surface except for the opening,
the common electrode has a continuous surface,
the opening is spaced apart from the first edge, and
a first distance between the first opening and the first edge is less than a second distance between the first opening and the boundary.

11. The liquid crystal display of claim 10 , wherein the opening has a width equal to or smaller than twice a thickness of the liquid crystal layer.

12. The liquid crystal display of claim 11 , wherein the opening is spaced apart from the first edge by a distance equal to smaller than twice the thickness of the liquid crystal layer.

13. The liquid crystal display of claim 1 , wherein the first opening extends in a direction different from and not perpendicular to the average director of the first domain.

14. The liquid crystal display of claim 1 , wherein:
the second domain comprises a second opening,
the second opening extends in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction,
the second opening is spaced apart from a third edge of the pixel electrode, the third edge extending in the second direction,
the third edge is close to a tail of an average director of the second domain, and
a third distance between the second opening and the third edge is less than a fourth distance between the second opening and a boundary between the second domain and a third domain adjacent to the second domain.

Assignees

• Kwon Oh Jeong
• Park Jae Hong
• Yun Sung Jae
• Lee Hyeok Jin
• Shuai Jiang
• Park Kyung Hye
• Yoon Joo Young
• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kwon Oh-Jeong
• Park Jae-Hong
• Yun Sung-Jae
• Lee Hyeok Jin
• Shuai Jiang
• Park Kyung Hye
• Yoon Joo Young

Classifications

• G02F1/133707 Primary

  Structures for producing distorted electric fields, e.g. bumps, protrusions, recesses, slits in pixel electrodes · CPC title

• G02F1/1393

  the birefringence of the liquid crystal being electrically controlled, e.g. ECB-, DAP-, HAN-, PI-LC cells (G02F1/1396, G02F1/141 take precedence) · CPC title

• G02F1/134309

  characterised by their geometrical arrangement · CPC title

• G02F2001/133757

  Physics · mapped topic

• G02F1/1337

  Surface-induced orientation of the liquid crystal molecules, e.g. by alignment layers · CPC title