LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY ELEMENT USING NEMATIC LIQUID CRYSTAL

摘要

Provided is a high-definition liquid crystal display element with a wide viewing angle and low power consumption, said liquid crystal display element using nematic liquid crystal, being easy to produce, and having both memory characteristics and wide-viewing-angle characteristics. The liquid crystal display element, which uses nematic liquid crystal, has: a pair of substrates (SUB1, SUB2), at least one of which is transparent; a liquid crystal layer (LCL) disposed between the pair of substrates (SUB1, SUB2); a set of electrodes, formed on at least one of the pair of substrates (SUB1, SUB2), for applying to the liquid crystal layer (LCL) an electric field having a component roughly parallel to the surface of the substrate; and an orientation layer that is disposed between the liquid crystal layer (LCL) and at least one of the pair of substrates (SUB1, SUB2) and has undergone a liquid crystal orientation regulation process in two directions. The liquid crystal orientation regulation process performed on the orientation layer consists of using linearly-polarized light to illuminate the orientation layer on the surface of a substrate, said linearly-polarized light being capable of causing a chemical reaction in the orientation layer. The orientation layer comprises a block copolymer material comprising at least two different polymer units, and the two liquid crystal orientation regulation directions that arise therein due to illumination by the aforementioned linearly-polarized light are approximately orthogonal.