JP2008170589A - Liquid crystal device, method for manufacturing liquid crystal device, and electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a liquid crystal device that prevents gap unevenness due to insufficient hardness of a retardation layer and has excellent display quality.
A liquid crystal device 100 according to the present invention includes a pair of substrates 10 and 20 sandwiching a liquid crystal layer 50, a retardation layer 25 provided on the liquid crystal layer 50 side of one substrate 20, and a retardation layer 25. An opening H provided, a spacer receiver 41 provided in the opening H of the retardation layer 25, and a spacer 40 provided on the liquid crystal layer 50 side of the other substrate 10 and facing the spacer receiver 41 are provided.
[Selection] Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a transflective liquid crystal device having a retardation layer inside a liquid crystal panel, a method for manufacturing the liquid crystal device, and an electronic apparatus.

A transflective liquid crystal device is widely used as a display device such as a mobile phone or a portable information terminal. In a transflective liquid crystal device, in order to realize reflective display and transmissive display using a single liquid crystal layer, it is necessary to adjust a phase difference between display modes. Therefore, a liquid crystal device has been proposed in which a retardation layer is provided in the reflective display region so that appropriate reflective display and transmissive display can be obtained. As a retardation layer incorporated in a liquid crystal device, a layer produced by stretching a polymer film in a certain direction is usually used. Recently, such a retardation film is formed inside a liquid crystal panel. A liquid crystal device that achieves a thin and lightweight liquid crystal panel has been proposed. The retardation film formed inside the liquid crystal panel may be referred to as an inner surface retardation layer (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2004-226830 A

  However, since the retardation layer provided on the inner surface side of the liquid crystal panel is formed of a polymer liquid crystal layer, there is a problem that the hardness is low and the film is easily deformed by the pressure of the gap material when the substrates are bonded together. For example, currently available retardation layer materials have a pencil hardness of only about “4B” to “6B”. Therefore, if a material with high hardness such as an acrylic resin is used as the gap material, the gap material will be displaced. It will sink into the inside of the phase difference layer, making it impossible to obtain the desired gap. Further, when the gap material sinks inside the retardation layer, the retardation layer swells in the vicinity of the gap material, and uniform optical characteristics cannot be obtained.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a liquid crystal device in which a protective film is formed on the surface of a retardation layer to increase the hardness of the retardation layer. However, this method requires a new process for forming the protective film, which causes problems that the manufacturing process becomes complicated and the manufacturing cost increases. Further, since the protective film is formed on the entire surface, the transmittance of the retardation layer is lowered, and a bright display cannot be obtained. On the other hand, a material having high hardness can be selected as the material of the retardation layer, but this method has a problem that the material of the retardation layer is limited and sufficient display characteristics cannot be obtained.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal device excellent in display quality and a manufacturing method thereof, which prevents gap unevenness due to insufficient hardness of a retardation layer. To do. It is another object of the present invention to provide an electronic device with high display quality and high reliability by including such a liquid crystal device.

  In order to solve the above problems, a liquid crystal device of the present invention includes a pair of substrates that sandwich a liquid crystal layer, a retardation layer provided on the liquid crystal layer side of one of the pair of substrates, An opening provided in the retardation layer, a spacer receiver provided in the opening of the retardation layer, and provided on the liquid crystal layer side of the other substrate of the pair of substrates, facing the spacer receiver And a spacer. According to this configuration, since the spacer receiver is formed on the portion facing the spacer, the spacer does not sink into the retardation layer even if the hardness of the retardation layer is small. In addition, since the rise of the retardation layer does not occur in the vicinity of the spacer, a retardation layer having excellent flatness can be formed. Furthermore, since the gap material is constituted by the spacer and the spacer receiver, the thickness of the spacer can be reduced as compared with the case where the gap material is constituted only by the spacer. For example, since the gap in the reflective display region where the retardation layer is formed is usually about 2 μm, if the gap material is composed only of spacers, the thickness of the spacers increases, making it impossible to achieve a uniform thickness. However, when the gap material is composed of a spacer and a spacer receiver as in the present invention, each thickness may be about 1 μm, so that a sufficiently uniform thickness can be realized even by a spin coating method or the like. For this reason, a liquid crystal device excellent in display quality can be provided.

  In the present invention, a color filter and an overcoat layer are provided between the one substrate and the retardation layer, and the spacer receiver and the overcoat layer are formed of the same material. be able to. Alternatively, an insulating film for insulating the pixel switching element and the pixel electrode may be provided on the liquid crystal layer side of the one substrate, and the spacer receiver and the insulating film may be formed of the same material. . According to this configuration, since it is not necessary to newly form a spacer receiver, the manufacturing process can be simplified.

  In the present invention, it is desirable that the thickness of the spacer receiver is smaller than the thickness of the retardation layer. According to this configuration, the spacer and the spacer receiver can be accurately aligned by fitting the spacer into the opening of the retardation layer. Further, since the spacer is fixed in the opening of the retardation layer, the positional deviation after bonding the substrates is reduced.

  The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device according to the present invention is a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device in which a liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between a pair of substrates, the step of forming a retardation layer having an opening on one of the substrates, and A step of forming a spacer receiver in the opening of the retardation layer, a step of forming a spacer on a portion of the other substrate facing the spacer receiver, and aligning the spacer receiver and the spacer And a step of bonding a pair of substrates. According to this method, since the spacer receiver is formed on the opposite portion of the spacer, the spacer does not sink into the retardation layer even if the retardation layer has a small hardness. In addition, since the rise of the retardation layer does not occur in the vicinity of the spacer, a retardation layer having excellent flatness can be formed. Furthermore, since the gap material is constituted by the spacer and the spacer receiver, the thickness of the spacer can be reduced as compared with the case where the gap material is constituted only by the spacer. For example, since the gap in the reflective display region where the retardation layer is formed is usually about 2 μm, if the gap material is composed only of spacers, the thickness of the spacers increases, making it impossible to achieve a uniform thickness. However, when the gap material is composed of a spacer and a spacer receiver as in the present invention, each thickness may be about 1 μm, so that a sufficiently uniform thickness can be realized even by a spin coating method or the like. For this reason, a liquid crystal device excellent in display quality can be provided.

  In the present invention, the retardation layer is preferably formed of a polymer liquid crystal layer, and the spacer receiver is preferably formed of a photosensitive resin film. According to this method, since the retardation layer is not dissolved in the developer of the photosensitive resin, even if the spacer receiver is formed after forming the retardation layer, the retardation layer is not damaged. Therefore, a liquid crystal device excellent in display quality can be provided.

  In the present invention, the spacer receiver and the spacer are aligned by forming the spacer receiver thinner than the retardation layer and fitting the spacer into the opening of the retardation layer. Is desirable. According to this method, the alignment of the spacer and the spacer receiver can be performed accurately and easily. For this reason, a margin due to misalignment can be reduced and a high-definition liquid crystal device can be provided. Further, since the spacer is fixed in the opening of the retardation layer, the positional deviation after bonding the substrates is reduced.

  An electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes the liquid crystal device of the present invention described above or the liquid crystal device manufactured by the method of manufacturing the liquid crystal device of the present invention described above. According to this configuration, an electronic apparatus with high display quality and excellent reliability can be provided.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. This embodiment shows one aspect of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention, and can be arbitrarily changed within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. Moreover, in the following drawings, in order to make each structure easy to understand, an actual structure and a scale, a number, and the like in each structure are different.

  In the following description, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is set, and the positional relationship of each member will be described with reference to this XYZ orthogonal coordinate system. At this time, the predetermined direction in the horizontal plane is the X-axis direction, the direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction in the horizontal plane is the Y-axis direction, and the direction orthogonal to each of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction (that is, the vertical direction) is the Z-axis direction. And For example, in the present embodiment, the X-axis direction is the scanning line extending direction, the Y-axis direction is the data line extending direction, and the Z-axis direction is the viewing direction of the liquid crystal panel by the observer.

First Embodiment <Configuration of Liquid Crystal Device>
FIG. 1 is a circuit configuration diagram of a liquid crystal device 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The liquid crystal device 100 is an active matrix type transflective liquid crystal device adopting a method called an FFS method among methods for displaying an image by applying an electric field substantially in the direction of the substrate surface to the liquid crystal to control alignment. It is. The liquid crystal device 100 is a color liquid crystal device having a color filter on a substrate, and one pixel is composed of three sub-pixels that output light of each color of R (red), G (green), and B (blue). It is what constitutes. Therefore, the minimum unit of display is referred to as “subpixel”, and an area composed of a set of (R, G, B) subpixels is referred to as “pixel”.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a pixel electrode 9 and a TFT 30 for switching control of the pixel electrode 9 are formed in a plurality of sub-pixel areas formed in a matrix that constitutes an image display area of the liquid crystal device 100. The data line 6 a extending from the data line driving circuit is electrically connected to the source of the TFT 30. The data line driving circuit 101 supplies the image signals S1, S2,..., Sn to each sub-pixel through the data line 6a. The image signals S1 to Sn may be supplied line-sequentially in this order, or may be supplied for each group to a plurality of adjacent data lines 6a.

  Further, the scanning line 3a extending from the scanning line driving circuit 102 is electrically connected to the gate of the TFT 30, and the scanning signal G1 is supplied from the scanning line driving circuit 102 to the scanning line 3a in a pulse manner at a predetermined timing. , G2,..., Gm are applied to the gate of the TFT 30 in the order of lines in this order. The pixel electrode 9 is electrically connected to the drain of the TFT 30. The TFT 30 serving as a switching element is turned on for a certain period by the input of scanning signals G1, G2,..., Gm, so that the image signals S1, S2,. Writing is performed on the pixel electrode 9. Image signals S1, S2,..., Sn written to the liquid crystal via the pixel electrode 9 are held for a certain period between the pixel electrode 9 and the common electrode opposed via the liquid crystal. Note that the wiring denoted by reference numeral 3b is a common line that electrically connects the common electrodes in each sub-pixel.

  FIG. 2 is a plan configuration diagram of sub-pixel regions formed in a matrix that constitutes the liquid crystal device of the present embodiment. The liquid crystal device 100 is provided with a plurality of pixel electrodes 9 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. The pixel electrodes 9 are arranged in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and a plurality of data lines 6 a extending in the Y-axis direction along a gap between the pixel electrodes 9 and a plurality of scanning lines extending in the X-axis direction. 3a. The area where the pixel electrode 9 is arranged constitutes a sub-pixel which is a minimum unit of display, and the sub-pixel is arranged in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction to form a display area as a whole.

  The pixel electrode 9 includes a transparent electrode 9a made of indium tin oxide (ITO) or the like, and a reflective electrode 9b made of aluminum (Al) or the like. Of the one sub-pixel region, the region where the transparent electrode 9a is formed is the transmissive display region T, and the region where the reflective electrode 9b is formed is the reflective display region R. The transparent electrode 9a and the reflective electrode 9b are arranged along the extending direction of the data line 6a, and the reflective electrode 9b is disposed on the TFT 30 side with respect to the extending direction (Y-axis direction) of the data line 6a.

  A TFT 30 which is a pixel switching element is provided in the vicinity of the intersection between the scanning line 3a and the data line 6a. The TFT 30 includes a semiconductor layer 35 made of a polysilicon film having a substantially L shape in plan view. One end side of the semiconductor layer 35 intersects with the data line 6a, and a source contact hole 44 is provided at a position where the semiconductor layer 35 and the data line 6a overlap in a plane. The semiconductor layer 35 and the data line 6a are electrically connected via the source contact hole 44. On the other hand, the other end side of the semiconductor layer 35 is disposed so as to overlap the pixel electrode 9 in a plane, and the drain contact hole 45 and the pixel contact hole 47 are formed at a position where the semiconductor layer 35 and the pixel electrode 9 overlap in a plane. Is provided. The drain contact hole 45 and the pixel contact hole 47 communicate with each other, and the semiconductor layer 35 and the pixel electrode 9 (reflection electrode 9b) are electrically connected via the drain contact hole 45 and the pixel contact hole 47. . Further, the central portion of the semiconductor layer 35 intersects with the scanning line 3a, and the portion of the semiconductor layer 35 that overlaps the scanning line 3a in plan view is the channel region of the TFT 30, and the portion of the scanning line 3a that opposes the channel region. Is the gate electrode 33 of the TFT 30.

  On the upper layer side of the pixel electrode 9, a common electrode 19 having a solid shape in plan view made of a transparent conductive film such as ITO is provided so as to face the pixel electrode 9. The common electrode 19 is provided across a plurality of subpixel regions. A region where the pixel electrode 9 and the common electrode 19 overlap in plan view functions as a capacitor of the sub-pixel region. Further, a plurality of slits (openings) 19 s formed by partially removing the common electrode 19 are provided in a facing region where the common electrode 19 and the pixel electrode 9 face each other. The slits 19s extend in a direction substantially parallel to the scanning line 3a (X-axis direction), and a plurality of slits 19s are arranged along the extending direction (Y-axis direction) of the data lines 6a at equal intervals. ing. A horizontal electric field is generated between the pixel electrode 9 and the common electrode 19 through the slit 19s in a direction substantially perpendicular to the scanning line 3a (Y-axis direction).

  A gap material 42 is erected at the end of the sub-pixel region to hold the TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20 at a predetermined distance. The gap material 42 includes a photo spacer 40 provided on the TFT array substrate 10 side and a photo spacer receiver 41 provided on the counter substrate 20 side. The photo spacer 40 and the photo spacer receiver 41 are provided at positions facing each other, and the gap between the substrates is held by arranging the photo spacer 40 and the photo spacer receiver 41 so as to overlap each other. The gap material 42 is provided in the reflective display region R, and is disposed in the vicinity of the pixel contact hole 47.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram taken along the line A-A ′ of FIG. 2. The liquid crystal device 100 includes a TFT array substrate (first substrate) 10 and a counter substrate (second substrate) 20 facing each other, and a liquid crystal layer 50 sandwiched between the TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20. ing. A sealing material (not shown) is provided at the peripheral portion of the facing area where the TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20 face each other, and a space formed between the sealing material and the TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20. The liquid crystal layer 50 is sealed in (cell gap). A polarizing plate 14 is provided on the opposite side of the TFT array substrate 10 from the liquid crystal layer 50, and a polarizing plate 24 is provided on the opposite side of the counter substrate 20 from the liquid crystal layer 50. A backlight (illuminating device) 90 including a light source, a light guide plate 91, and a reflection plate 92 is provided on the back side of the TFT array substrate 10 (the side opposite to the main substrate end 10 </ b> A of the polarizing plate 14).

  The TFT array substrate 10 has a translucent substrate main body 10A such as glass, quartz, or plastic as a base. A semiconductor layer 35 is formed on the liquid crystal layer 50 side of the substrate body 10A, and a gate insulating film 11 made of a transparent insulating film such as silicon oxide is formed so as to cover the semiconductor layer 35. A scanning line 3 a is formed on the gate insulating film 11. The portion of the semiconductor layer 35 facing the scanning line 3 a is the channel region 35 c of the TFT 30, and the portion of the scanning line 3 a facing the semiconductor layer 35 is the gate electrode 33. A source region 35s and a drain region 35d are formed on both sides of the semiconductor layer 35 with the channel region 35c interposed therebetween.

  A first interlayer insulating film 12 made of a transparent insulating film such as a silicon oxide film is formed to cover the gate insulating film 11, the scanning line 3 a (gate electrode 33), and the gate insulating film 11. A drain contact hole 45 penetrating the first interlayer insulating film 12 and the gate insulating film 11 is formed in a portion of the first interlayer insulating film 12 and the gate insulating film 11 facing the drain region 35d. A drain electrode 32 is formed on the first interlayer insulating film 12. The drain electrode 32 is electrically connected to the drain region 35 d through the drain contact hole 45. Although not shown, a source contact hole 44 penetrating the first interlayer insulating film 12 and the gate insulating film 11 is formed in a portion of the first interlayer insulating film 12 and the gate insulating film 11 facing the source region 35s. (See FIG. 2). A data line 6 a is formed on the first interlayer insulating film 12. The data line 6a is electrically connected to the source region 35s through the source contact hole 44.

  A second interlayer insulating film 13 made of a transparent insulating film such as an acrylic resin is formed so as to cover the first interlayer insulating film 12, the data line 6 a and the drain electrode 32. The second interlayer insulating film 13 is formed in a region excluding the transmissive display region T. The second interlayer insulating film 13 functions as a liquid crystal layer thickness adjusting layer that varies the liquid crystal layer thickness of the transmissive display region T and the reflective display region R together with the retardation layer 25 described later.

  A pixel electrode 9 is formed across the surface of the second interlayer insulating film 13 and the surface of the first interlayer insulating film 12. The pixel electrode 9 includes a transparent electrode 9 a provided in the transmissive display area T and a reflective electrode 9 b provided in the reflective display area R. The transparent electrode 9a is formed on the first interlayer insulating film 12. The reflective electrode 9 b is formed on the second interlayer insulating film 13. The transparent electrode 9 a and the reflective electrode 9 b are electrically connected in the vicinity of the end surface of the second interlayer insulating film 13. A pixel contact hole 47 penetrating the second interlayer insulating film 13 is formed in a portion of the second interlayer insulating film 13 facing the drain electrode 32. The reflective electrode 9 b is electrically connected to the drain electrode 32 through the pixel contact hole 47.

  The reflective electrode 9b functions as a reflective film that reflects external light. As the reflective electrode 9b, it is preferable to use an electrode having irregularities formed on the surface to impart light scattering properties. With this configuration, the visibility in reflective display can be improved. In the case of the present embodiment, a concavo-convex shape is formed on a part of the surface of the second interlayer insulating film 13 (at least a region overlapping with the region including the reflective display region R in a plane), and on the second interlayer insulating film 13. On the surface of the reflective electrode 9b formed on the surface, a concavo-convex shape following the surface of the second interlayer insulating film 13 is formed.

  An electrode part insulating film 18 made of a transparent insulating film such as a silicon nitride film is formed so as to cover the first interlayer insulating film 12, the second interlayer insulating film 13 and the pixel electrode 9. A common electrode 19 having a solid shape in plan view made of a transparent conductive film such as ITO is formed on the electrode portion insulating film 18. A plurality of slits 19 s are formed in the common electrode 19 at a portion facing the pixel electrode 9.

  Photo spacers 40 are formed on the surface of the common electrode 19 at portions corresponding to the reflective display region R. The photo spacer 40 can be formed, for example, by applying a photosensitive resin to the entire surface of the substrate, and performing an exposure process and a development process. The photo spacer 40 has a thickness of about 1 μm, and is formed to have a uniform thickness over the entire surface of the substrate by spin coating. The photo spacer 40 constitutes a gap material 42 that holds a gap between the TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20 together with a photo spacer receiver 41 described later.

  An alignment film 16 such as polyimide is formed so as to cover the common electrode 19, the electrode portion insulating film 18, and the photospacer 40. The alignment film 16 is subjected to an alignment process such as rubbing. The direction of the alignment treatment (the alignment regulating direction of the liquid crystal by the alignment film 16) is parallel to, for example, the extending direction of the scanning line 3a (X-axis direction) and intersects the extending direction of the slit 19s of the common electrode 19. It is.

  The counter substrate 20 has a translucent substrate body 20A such as glass, quartz, or plastic as a base. A color filter 22 is provided on the liquid crystal layer 50 side of the substrate body 20A. An overcoat layer 23 made of a transparent organic insulating film such as an acrylic resin is formed so as to cover the color filter 22.

  A retardation layer 25 is formed on the surface of the overcoat layer 23 in a portion corresponding to the reflective display region R. In the present embodiment, the retardation layer 25 gives a phase difference of approximately ½ wavelength (λ / 2) to transmitted light, and is a so-called inner surface position provided on the inner surface side of the substrate body 20A. It is a phase difference layer. The retardation layer 25 is applied, for example, when a polymer liquid crystal (cholesteric liquid crystal or the like) solution or a polymerizable liquid crystal monomer (or polymerizable liquid crystal oligomer) solution is applied onto an alignment film that has been previously subjected to an alignment treatment and dried and solidified. Can be formed by a method of aligning in a predetermined direction. The retardation imparted to the transmitted light by the retardation layer 25 can be adjusted by the type of liquid crystalline polymer that is the constituent material and the layer thickness of the retardation layer 25.

  In the present embodiment, the retardation layer 25, together with the second interlayer insulating film 13, is a liquid crystal layer for making the thickness of the liquid crystal layer 50 in the reflective display region R smaller than the thickness of the liquid crystal layer 50 in the transmissive display region T. It also functions as a thickness adjusting layer. In the transflective liquid crystal device, incident light to the reflective display region R passes through the liquid crystal layer 50 twice, but incident light to the transmissive display region T passes through the liquid crystal layer 50 only once. As a result, if the retardation of the liquid crystal layer 50 is different between the reflective display region R and the transmissive display region T, a difference in light transmittance occurs, and a uniform image display cannot be obtained. Therefore, a so-called multi-gap structure is realized by forming the retardation layer 25 so as to protrude toward the liquid crystal layer 50. Specifically, the layer thickness of the liquid crystal layer 50 in the reflective display region R is set to about half the layer thickness of the liquid crystal layer 50 in the transmissive display region T, and the liquid crystal layer 50 in the reflective display region R and the transmissive display region T The retardation is set substantially the same. Thereby, a uniform image display can be obtained in the reflective display region R and the transmissive display region T.

  A photospacer receiver 41 is formed on the surface of the overcoat layer 23 at a portion facing the photospacer 40. The photo spacer receiver 41 is formed in an opening H provided in the retardation layer 25. The photo spacer receiver 41 penetrates the retardation layer 25 and protrudes from the surface of the retardation layer 25 toward the liquid crystal layer 50. The photo spacer receiver 41 can be formed, for example, by applying a photosensitive acrylic resin to the entire surface of the substrate, and performing an exposure process and a development process. The photo spacer receiver 41 has a thickness of about 1 μm and is formed to have a uniform thickness over the entire surface of the substrate by spin coating. The photo spacer receiver 41 and the photo spacer 40 constitute a gap material 42 that holds the gap between the TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20. The sum of the thickness of the photo spacer receiver 41 and the thickness of the photo spacer 40 is controlled to be the same as the size of the gap between the substrates in the reflective display region R (liquid crystal layer thickness).

  An alignment film 28 made of polyimide or the like is formed so as to cover the overcoat layer 23, the retardation layer 25 and the photo spacer receiver 41. The alignment film 28 is subjected to an alignment process such as rubbing. The direction of the alignment treatment (the alignment regulating direction of the liquid crystal by the alignment film 28) is a direction substantially parallel to the alignment regulating direction of the alignment film 16. Therefore, the liquid crystal layer 50 exhibits an initial alignment state of horizontal alignment between the TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20.

<Method for manufacturing liquid crystal device>
Next, a manufacturing method of the liquid crystal device 100 will be described with reference to FIG. In FIG. 4, the description will focus on the process of forming the retardation layer 25 and the photo spacer receiver 41, and the description of the other processes will be omitted. In addition, a well-known thing can be employ | adopted about processes other than the formation process of the phase difference layer 25 and the photo spacer receiver 41. FIG.

  First, as shown in FIG. 4A, a substrate body 20A having a color filter 22 and an overcoat layer 23 is prepared, and a retardation layer 25 is formed in a portion corresponding to the reflective display region R of the overcoat layer 23. To do. In the retardation layer 25, an opening H is formed at a position corresponding to the photo spacer receiver 41.

  As a method of forming the retardation layer 25, for example, the following method can be used. First, an alignment film forming material is applied and baked on the overcoat layer 23 by a spin coating method, a flexographic printing method, or the like, and then a rubbing process is performed. Next, a polymer liquid crystal solution is applied onto the alignment film by a spin coating method (for example, at a rotation speed of 700 rpm for 30 seconds). The polymer liquid crystal used here is, for example, an 8% solution of PLC-7023 (trade name, manufactured by Asahi Denka Kogyo Co., Ltd.), and the solvent is a mixed solution of cyclohexanone and methyl ethyl ketone. Next, pre-baking of the applied polymer liquid crystal solution is performed at 80 ° C. for 1 minute, and after heating at 180 ° C. for 30 minutes, which is equal to or higher than the isotropic transition temperature (phase transition temperature) of the polymer liquid crystal layer obtained by baking. The polymer liquid crystal is aligned by gradually cooling. Here, the phase transition temperature is a temperature at which the liquid crystal phase transitions to the isotropic phase.

  Next, a resist is patterned in a region corresponding to the reflective display region R on the formed polymer liquid crystal layer, and the polymer liquid crystal layer is etched using the resist as a mask. In addition to dry etching, wet etching using an N methyl-2 pyrrolidinone solution can be applied to the etching process. Through the above steps, the retardation layer 25 made of a polymer liquid crystal layer can be formed in a region on the overcoat layer 23 corresponding to the reflective display region R.

  In addition, as a formation method of the phase difference layer 25, after apply | coating the solution of a liquid crystal monomer or a liquid crystal oligomer on the overcoat layer 23, the method of exposing and polymerizing using a predetermined mask is also applicable. In this forming method, patterning can be easily performed by developing after partially exposing the coating film of the liquid crystal monomer or liquid crystal oligomer.

  When the retardation layer 25 is formed as described above, a photosensitive resin film 41A is formed so as to cover the retardation layer 25 as shown in FIG. As the photosensitive resin film 41A, a known material such as acrylic can be used. The photosensitive resin film 41A is formed on the entire surface of the substrate with a thickness of about 1 μm by spin coating. In the spin coating method, the thickness of the photosensitive resin film 41A can be controlled by the viscosity of the coating solution and the rotation speed (rpm) of the substrate. If the thickness of the photosensitive resin film 41A is thick, the thickness of the photosensitive resin film 41A is not uniform within the substrate surface. In the present embodiment, the thickness of the photosensitive resin film 41A is about 1 μm. A photosensitive resin film 41A having a uniform thickness can be formed.

  When the photosensitive resin film 41A is formed, as shown in FIG. 4C, the photosensitive resin film 41A is subjected to an exposure process and a development process, and a photo spacer having a thickness of about 1 μm in the opening H of the retardation layer 25. A receptacle 41 is formed. A known developer such as an alkali developer can be used for the development treatment. Since such a developer does not contain an organic solvent component, it does not dissolve the retardation layer 25 composed of a polymer liquid crystal layer. For this reason, when developing the photosensitive resin film 41A, the thickness, shape, and the like of the retardation layer 25 do not change.

  When the photo spacer receiver 41 is formed as described above, as shown in FIG. 4D, an alignment film is formed on the entire surface of the substrate, and an alignment process such as rubbing is performed. Thereby, the counter substrate is completed. Subsequently, the TFT array substrate 10 on which the photospacer 40 is formed using a known method is prepared, the photospacer 40 and the photospacer receiver 41 are aligned, and the TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20 are bonded together. Thereafter, liquid crystal is injected between the substrates 10 and 20 to complete the liquid crystal device.

  As described above, according to the liquid crystal device 100 of the present embodiment, since the photo spacer receiver 41 is formed in the portion facing the photo spacer 40, even if the retardation layer 25 has a low hardness, The photo spacer 40 is not recessed. Moreover, since the swell of the retardation layer 25 does not occur in the vicinity of the photo spacer 40, a retardation layer having excellent flatness can be formed. Furthermore, since the gap material 42 is constituted by the photo spacer 40 and the photo spacer receiver 41, the thickness of the photo spacer 40 can be reduced as compared with the case where the gap material is constituted by only the photo spacer 40. For example, since the gap of the reflective display region R in which the retardation layer 25 is formed is usually about 2 μm, if the gap material 42 is composed only of the photo spacers 40, the thickness of the photo spacers 40 is increased and the thickness is uniform. Cannot be realized. However, when the gap material 42 is constituted by the photo spacer 40 and the photo spacer receiver 41 as in the present embodiment, each thickness may be about 1 μm, so that a sufficiently uniform thickness can be realized even by a spin coat method or the like. . For this reason, a liquid crystal device excellent in display quality can be provided.

  In this embodiment, the liquid crystal device 100 is an FFS transflective liquid crystal device. However, the present invention is not limited to the FFS method and can be applied to other lateral electric field methods such as an IPS method. In addition to the lateral electric field method, the present invention can be widely applied to, for example, a TN (Twisted Nematic) method, a VA (Vertical Alignment) method, an OCB (Optical Compensated Birefringence) method, and the like. Further, in the present embodiment, the photo spacer receiver 41 is formed for each sub pixel, but the photo spacer receiver 41 may be formed in a stripe shape so as to straddle a plurality of sub pixels. Furthermore, the photo spacer can be replaced with a spacer formed by another known method. That is, in this embodiment, the spacer is formed by patterning an insulating film such as a photosensitive resin film using a photolithography method. However, the method for forming the spacer is not limited to this, and various well-known methods are used. Spacers formed by the method can be applied.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram of a liquid crystal device 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. This figure corresponds to FIG. 3 of the first embodiment. The basic configuration of the liquid crystal device 200 is the same as the liquid crystal device 100 of the first embodiment. The difference is that the thickness of the photo spacer receiver 41 is made thinner than the thickness of the retardation layer 25.

  In FIG. 5, the surface of the photo spacer receiver 41 (surface on the liquid crystal layer 50 side) is formed so as to recede toward the substrate body 20 </ b> A side from the surface of the retardation layer 25. An opening that is shallower than the opening H of the retardation layer 25 is formed in the upper portion of the photospacer receiver 41, and the photospacer 40 is fitted into the opening. In the liquid crystal device 200 of the present embodiment, the photo spacer 40 and the photo spacer receiver 41 are aligned by fitting the photo spacer 40 into the opening (inside the opening H of the retardation layer 25). Further, the position of the photo spacer 40 in the horizontal plane (in the XY plane) is fixed by being fitted into the opening.

  According to the liquid crystal device 200 of the present embodiment, the alignment of the photo spacer 40 and the photo spacer receiver 41 can be performed accurately and easily. For this reason, a margin due to misalignment can be reduced, and a high-definition liquid crystal device can be provided. Further, since the photo spacer 40 is fixed in the opening H of the retardation layer, the positional deviation after the substrates are bonded is reduced.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram of a liquid crystal device 300 according to the third embodiment of the present invention. This figure corresponds to FIG. 3 of the first embodiment. The basic configuration of the liquid crystal device 300 is the same as that of the liquid crystal device 100 of the first embodiment. The difference is that the photo spacer receiver 23A and the overcoat layer 23 are integrally formed of the same material.

  The photo spacer receiver 23A can be formed, for example, by the following method. First, a photosensitive resin film such as acrylic is applied to the surface of the color filter 22. Then, the photosensitive resin film is exposed using a gradation mask having a plurality of light transmission regions having different light transmittances, and the thickness of the portion corresponding to the opening H of the retardation layer 25 is set to be different from that of the other portions. Also thicken. Thereafter, development processing is performed to form a protruding photospacer receiver 41 at a portion corresponding to the opening H of the retardation layer 25. The thickness of the photo spacer receiver 41 can be controlled by controlling the amount of light transmitted through the gradation mask (the light transmittance of the light transmission region). By increasing or decreasing the thickness of the photo spacer receiver 41, the photo spacer receiver 41 thinner than the thickness of the retardation layer 25 as shown in FIG. 5 can be formed.

  When the photo spacer receiver 41 is formed, the retardation layer 25 is formed around the photo spacer receiver 41. Then, an alignment film 28 is formed on the entire surface of the substrate so as to cover the retardation layer 25 and the photo spacer receiver 41. Thus, the counter substrate 20 is completed.

  According to the liquid crystal device 300 of the present embodiment, since the photo spacer receiver 41 can be formed simultaneously with the overcoat layer 23, the manufacturing process can be simplified. However, when the phase difference layer 25 is formed after the photo spacer receiver 41 is formed, the etching solution for the phase difference layer 25 is an organic solvent such as thinner. Therefore, when the phase difference layer 25 is etched, the photo spacer receiver 41 is used. May be dissolved and a desired thickness may not be obtained. However, when the change in the thickness of the photo spacer receiver 41 is small, or when the change in the thickness can be adjusted by the photo spacer 40, the present method can be sufficiently implemented.

[Fourth Embodiment]
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram of a liquid crystal device 400 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. This figure corresponds to FIG. 3 of the first embodiment. The liquid crystal device 400 of this embodiment is an FFS transflective liquid crystal device having the same basic configuration as that of the first embodiment. In the liquid crystal device 300, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those of the liquid crystal device 100 of the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In the TFT array substrate 10 of the liquid crystal device 400, the TFT 30, the first interlayer insulating film 12, the data line 6a, and the drain electrode 32 are formed on the substrate body 10A. A second interlayer insulating film 13 made of a transparent organic insulating film such as acrylic resin is formed so as to cover the first interlayer insulating film 12, the data line 6a, and the drain electrode 32, and a part of the surface of the second interlayer insulating film 13 is formed. A reflective film 60 is formed on the surface.

  As the reflective film 60, it is preferable to use a film provided with irregularities on the surface to impart light scattering properties. With this configuration, the visibility in reflective display can be improved. For example, by providing an uneven shape on the surface of the second interlayer insulating film 12 and forming the reflective film 60 on the surface, an uneven shape that follows the surface of the second interlayer insulating film 12 can be formed on the surface of the reflective film 60. .

  As described above, in the liquid crystal device 400 according to this embodiment in which the reflective film 60 is partially formed in one subpixel, the reflective film 60 forming region is incident from the outside of the counter substrate 20 in one subpixel region. Thus, a reflective display region R for performing display by reflecting and modulating light transmitted through the liquid crystal layer 50 is formed. In addition, the light transmission region outside the region where the reflective film 60 is formed is a transmission display region T that performs display by modulating the light incident from the backlight 90 and transmitted through the liquid crystal layer 50.

  A retardation layer 62 is formed in a region corresponding to the reflective display region R so as to cover the second interlayer insulating film 13 and the reflective film 60. In the present embodiment, the retardation layer 62 provides a phase difference of approximately ½ wavelength (λ / 2) to the transmitted light, and is a so-called inner surface position provided on the inner surface side of the substrate body 10A. It is a phase difference layer. The retardation layer 62 is oriented in a predetermined direction when, for example, a polymer liquid crystal (cholesteric liquid crystal or the like) solution or a polymerizable liquid crystal monomer (or polymerizable liquid crystal oligomer) solution is applied onto the alignment film and dried and solidified. It can be formed by a method. The retardation that the retardation layer 62 imparts to the transmitted light can be adjusted by the type of the liquid crystalline polymer that is the constituent material and the layer thickness of the retardation layer 62.

  In the present embodiment, the retardation layer 62 also functions as a liquid crystal layer thickness adjusting layer for making the thickness of the liquid crystal layer 50 in the reflective display region R smaller than the thickness of the liquid crystal layer 50 in the transmissive display region T. It has become a thing. In the transflective liquid crystal device, incident light to the reflective display region R passes through the liquid crystal layer 50 twice, but incident light to the transmissive display region T passes through the liquid crystal layer 50 only once. As a result, if the retardation of the liquid crystal layer 50 is different between the reflective display region R and the transmissive display region T, a difference in light transmittance occurs, and a uniform image display cannot be obtained. Therefore, a so-called multi-gap structure is realized by forming the retardation layer 62 so as to protrude to the liquid crystal layer 50 side. Specifically, the layer thickness of the liquid crystal layer 50 in the reflective display region R is set to about half the layer thickness of the liquid crystal layer 50 in the transmissive display region T, and the liquid crystal layer 50 in the reflective display region R and the transmissive display region T The retardation is set substantially the same. Thereby, a uniform image display can be obtained in the reflective display region R and the transmissive display region T.

  A photo spacer receiver 61 is formed on the surface of the reflective film 60 at a portion corresponding to the reflective display region R. The photo spacer receiver 61 is formed in an opening H provided in the retardation layer 62. The photo spacer receiver 61 passes through the retardation layer 62 and protrudes from the surface of the retardation layer 62 toward the liquid crystal layer 50. The photo spacer receiver 61 can be formed, for example, by applying a photosensitive resin to the entire surface of the substrate, and performing an exposure process and a development process. The photo spacer receiver 61 has a thickness of about 1 μm, and is formed to have a uniform thickness over the entire surface of the substrate by spin coating. The photo spacer receiver 61 and the photo spacer 63 described later constitute a gap material 64 that holds the gap between the TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20.

  A pixel electrode 9 made of a transparent conductive film such as ITO is formed so as to cover the first interlayer insulating film 12, the second interlayer insulating film 13 and the retardation layer 62. A pixel contact hole 47 penetrating the second interlayer insulating film 13 is formed in a portion of the second interlayer insulating film 13 facing the drain electrode 32. The pixel electrode 9 is electrically connected to the drain electrode 32 through the pixel contact hole 47.

  An electrode part insulating film 18 made of a transparent insulating film such as a silicon nitride film is formed so as to cover the first interlayer insulating film 12, the second interlayer insulating film 13 and the pixel electrode 9. A common electrode 19 having a solid shape in plan view made of a transparent conductive film such as ITO is formed on the electrode portion insulating film 18. A plurality of slits 19 s are formed in the common electrode 19 at a portion facing the pixel electrode 9.

  An alignment film 16 such as polyimide is formed so as to cover the common electrode 19 and the electrode portion insulating film 18. The alignment film 16 is subjected to an alignment process such as rubbing. The direction of the alignment treatment (the alignment regulating direction of the liquid crystal by the alignment film 16) is parallel to, for example, the extending direction of the scanning line 3a (X-axis direction) and intersects the extending direction of the slit 19s of the common electrode 19. It is.

  The counter substrate 20 of the liquid crystal device 400 is provided with a color filter 22 on the liquid crystal layer 50 side of the substrate body 20A. An overcoat layer 23 made of a transparent organic insulating film such as an acrylic resin is formed so as to cover the color filter 22.

  A photo spacer 63 is formed on the surface of the overcoat layer 23 at a portion facing the photo spacer receiver 61. The photo spacer 63 can be formed, for example, by applying a photosensitive resin to the entire surface of the substrate, and performing an exposure process and a development process. The photo spacer 63 has a thickness of about 1 μm and is formed to have a uniform thickness over the entire surface of the substrate by spin coating. The photo spacer 63 and the photo spacer receiver 61 constitute a gap material 64 that holds the gap between the TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20. The sum of the thickness of the photo spacer 63 and the thickness of the photo spacer receiver 61 is controlled to the same thickness as the gap between the substrates in the reflective display region R (liquid crystal layer thickness).

  An alignment film 28 such as polyimide is formed so as to cover the overcoat layer 23 and the photo spacer 63. The alignment film 28 is subjected to an alignment process such as rubbing. The direction of the alignment treatment (the alignment regulating direction of the liquid crystal by the alignment film 16) is a direction substantially parallel to the alignment regulating direction of the alignment film 16. Therefore, the liquid crystal layer 50 exhibits an initial alignment state of horizontal alignment between the TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20.

  In the liquid crystal device 400 of the present embodiment, the method of forming the retardation layer 62 and the photo spacer receiver 61 is the same as the method of forming the retardation layer 25 and the photo spacer receiver 41 described in the first embodiment. First, an alignment film forming material is applied and baked on the second interlayer insulating film 12 and the reflective film 60 by a spin coating method, a flexographic printing method, or the like, and then a rubbing process is performed. Next, a polymer liquid crystal solution is applied onto the alignment film by a spin coating method (for example, at a rotation speed of 700 rpm for 30 seconds). The polymer liquid crystal used here is, for example, an 8% solution of PLC-7023 (trade name, manufactured by Asahi Denka Kogyo Co., Ltd.), and the solvent is a mixed solution of cyclohexanone and methyl ethyl ketone. Next, pre-baking of the applied polymer liquid crystal solution is performed at 80 ° C. for 1 minute, and after heating at 180 ° C. for 30 minutes, which is equal to or higher than the isotropic transition temperature (phase transition temperature) of the polymer liquid crystal layer obtained by baking. The polymer liquid crystal is aligned by gradually cooling. Here, the phase transition temperature is a temperature at which the liquid crystal phase transitions to the isotropic phase.

  Next, a resist is patterned in a region corresponding to the reflective display region R on the formed polymer liquid crystal layer, and the polymer liquid crystal layer is etched using the resist as a mask. In addition to dry etching, wet etching using an N methyl-2 pyrrolidinone solution can be applied to the etching process. Through the above steps, the retardation layer 62 made of a polymer liquid crystal layer can be formed in a region on the overcoat layer 23 corresponding to the reflective display region R.

  In addition, as a formation method of the phase difference layer 62, after apply | coating the solution of a liquid crystal monomer or a liquid crystal oligomer on a board | substrate, the method of exposing and polymerizing using a predetermined mask is also applicable. In this forming method, patterning can be easily performed by developing after partially exposing the coating film of the liquid crystal monomer or liquid crystal oligomer.

  When the retardation layer 62 is formed as described above, a photosensitive resin film is formed to cover the retardation layer 62. As the photosensitive resin film, a known material such as acrylic can be used. The photosensitive resin film is formed on the entire surface of the substrate with a thickness of about 1 μm by spin coating. In the spin coating method, the thickness of the photosensitive resin film can be controlled by the viscosity of the coating solution and the rotation speed (rpm) of the substrate. If the thickness of the photosensitive resin film is large, the thickness of the photosensitive resin film becomes non-uniform in the substrate surface. However, in the case of this embodiment, the thickness of the photosensitive resin film is about 1 μm, so it is uniform in the substrate surface. A photosensitive resin film having a sufficient thickness can be formed.

  Subsequently, the photosensitive resin film is exposed and developed to form a photo spacer receiver 61 having a thickness of about 1 μm in the opening H of the retardation layer 62. A known developer such as an alkali developer can be used for the development treatment. Since such a developer does not contain an organic solvent component, it does not dissolve the retardation layer 62 composed of a polymer liquid crystal layer. For this reason, when developing the photosensitive resin film, the thickness or shape of the retardation layer 62 does not change.

  After the photo spacer receiver 41 is formed as described above, the alignment film 16 is formed on the entire surface of the substrate, and an alignment process such as rubbing is performed. Thereby, the counter substrate is completed. Subsequently, a TFT array substrate 10 on which a photospacer 63 is formed is prepared using a known technique, the photospacer 63 and the photospacer receiver 61 are aligned, and the TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20 are bonded together. Thereafter, liquid crystal is injected between the substrates 10 and 20 to complete the liquid crystal device.

According to the liquid crystal device 400 of the present embodiment, since the photo spacer receiver 61 is formed in the portion facing the photo spacer 63, the photo spacer 63 is embedded in the retardation layer 62 even if the retardation layer 62 is low in hardness. There is no. In addition, since the rising of the retardation layer 62 does not occur in the vicinity of the photo spacer 63, a retardation layer having excellent flatness can be formed. Further, since the gap material 64 is constituted by the photo spacer 63 and the photo spacer receiver 61, the thickness of the photo spacer 63 can be reduced as compared with the case where the gap material is constituted only by the photo spacer 63. For example, since the gap of the reflective display region R in which the retardation layer 62 is formed is usually about 2 μm, if the gap material 64 is composed only of the photo spacer 63, the thickness of the photo spacer 63 is increased and the thickness is uniform. Cannot be realized. However, when the gap material 64 is constituted by the photo spacer 63 and the photo spacer receiver 61 as in the present embodiment, each thickness may be about 1 μm, so that a sufficiently uniform thickness can be realized even by a spin coat method or the like. . For this reason, a liquid crystal device excellent in display quality can be provided.
[Fifth Embodiment]
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram of a liquid crystal device 500 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. This diagram corresponds to FIG. 7 of the fourth embodiment. The basic configuration of the liquid crystal device 500 is the same as the liquid crystal device 400 of the fourth embodiment. The difference is that the photo spacer receiver 13A and the second interlayer insulating film 13 are integrally formed of the same material.

  The photo spacer receiver 13A can be formed, for example, by the following method. First, a photosensitive resin film such as acrylic is applied to the surface of the first interlayer insulating film 12. Then, the photosensitive resin film is exposed using a gradation mask having a plurality of light transmission regions having different light transmittances, and the thickness of the portion corresponding to the opening H of the retardation layer 62 is set to be different from that of other portions. Also thicken. Thereafter, development processing is performed to form a protruding photospacer receiver 13A at a portion corresponding to the opening H of the retardation layer 62. The thickness of the photo spacer receiver 13A can be controlled by controlling the amount of light transmitted through the gradation mask (the light transmittance of the light transmission region). By increasing or decreasing the thickness of the photo spacer receiver 13A, the photo spacer receiver 13 thinner than the thickness of the retardation layer 25 can be formed.

  When the photo spacer receiver 13A is formed, the retardation layer 62 is formed around the photo spacer receiver 13A. Then, an alignment film 28 is formed on the entire surface of the substrate so as to cover the retardation layer 62 and the photo spacer receiver 13A. Thus, the counter substrate 20 is completed.

  According to the liquid crystal device 500 of the present embodiment, since the photo spacer receiver 13A can be formed simultaneously with the second interlayer insulating film 13, the manufacturing process can be simplified. However, when the phase difference layer 62 is formed after the formation of the photo spacer receiver 13A, the etching solution for the phase difference layer 62 is an organic solvent such as thinner, so that the photo spacer receiver 13A is etched when the phase difference layer 62 is etched. May be dissolved and a desired thickness may not be obtained. However, when the change in the thickness of the photospacer receiver 13A is small, or when the change in the thickness can be adjusted by the photospacer 63, this method can be sufficiently implemented.

[Electronics]
FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an example of an electronic apparatus according to the present invention. A cellular phone 1300 illustrated in FIG. 9 includes the liquid crystal device of the present invention as a small-sized display portion 1301, and includes a plurality of operation buttons 1302, an earpiece 1303, and a mouthpiece 1304. Thus, a mobile phone 1300 provided with a display unit that is configured by the liquid crystal device of the present invention and has excellent display quality can be provided. The liquid crystal device of each of the above embodiments is not limited to the mobile phone, but an electronic book, a projector, a personal computer, a digital still camera, a television receiver, a viewfinder type or a monitor direct view type video tape recorder, a car navigation device, It can be suitably used as image display means for pagers, electronic notebooks, calculators, word processors, workstations, videophones, POS terminals, touch panel-equipped devices, etc., and such a configuration provides high display quality and reliability. It is possible to provide an electronic device provided with an excellent liquid crystal display portion.

It is an equivalent circuit diagram of the liquid crystal device of the first embodiment. It is a plane block diagram of the sub pixel area | region of the liquid crystal device. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional configuration diagram taken along line A-A ′ of FIG. 2. FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram representing a production method of the liquid crystal device. It is a cross-sectional block diagram of the liquid crystal device of 2nd Embodiment. It is a cross-sectional block diagram of the liquid crystal device of 3rd Embodiment. It is a cross-sectional block diagram of the liquid crystal device of 4th Embodiment. It is a cross-sectional block diagram of the liquid crystal device of 5th Embodiment. It is a schematic block diagram of the mobile telephone which is an example of an electronic device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 ... Pixel electrode, 10 ... TFT array substrate, 13 ... 2nd interlayer insulation film, 13A ... Photo spacer receiver (spacer receiver), 20 ... Opposite substrate, 22 ... Color filter, 23 ... Overcoat layer, 25 ... Retardation layer , 30 ... TFT (pixel switching element), 40 ... Photo spacer (spacer), 41 ... Photo spacer receiver (spacer receiver), 41A ... Photosensitive resin film, 42 ... Gap material, 50 ... Liquid crystal layer, 61 ... Photo spacer receiver (Spacer holder), 62 ... retardation layer, 63 ... photo spacer (spacer), 64 ... gap material, 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 ... liquid crystal device, 1300 ... mobile phone (electronic device), H ... phase difference Layer opening

Claims (8)

A pair of substrates sandwiching a liquid crystal layer;
A retardation layer provided on the liquid crystal layer side of one of the pair of substrates;
An opening provided in the retardation layer;
A spacer receiver provided in an opening of the retardation layer;
A liquid crystal device comprising: a spacer provided on the liquid crystal layer side of the other substrate of the pair of substrates, and a spacer facing the spacer receiver. A color filter and an overcoat layer are provided between the one substrate and the retardation layer,
The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the spacer receiver and the overcoat layer are formed of the same material. An insulating film for insulating the pixel switching element and the pixel electrode is provided on the liquid crystal layer side of the one substrate,
The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the spacer receiver and the insulating film are formed of the same material.   The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein a thickness of the spacer receiver is thinner than a thickness of the retardation layer. A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal device in which a liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between a pair of substrates,
Forming a retardation layer having an opening on one of the substrates;
Forming a spacer receiver at the opening of the retardation layer;
Forming a spacer on a portion of the other substrate facing the spacer receiver;
A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal device, comprising: aligning the spacer receiver and the spacer and bonding the pair of substrates. The retardation layer is formed of a polymer liquid crystal layer,
6. The method of manufacturing a liquid crystal device according to claim 5, wherein the spacer receiver is formed of a photosensitive resin film. Forming a thickness of the spacer receiver thinner than a thickness of the retardation layer;
The method of manufacturing a liquid crystal device according to claim 5, wherein the spacer receiver and the spacer are aligned by fitting the spacer into the opening of the retardation layer.   An electronic device comprising the liquid crystal device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 or the liquid crystal device produced by the method for producing a liquid crystal device according to any one of claims 5 to 7. machine.

Images