1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a liquid crystal display device, and more particularly to a liquid crystal display device which uses an optically compensated bend (OCB) alignment technique that is capable of realizing a wide viewing angle and a high speed response.
2. Description of the Related Art
Liquid crystal display devices have been applied to various technical fields by virtue of their features of light weight, small thickness and low power consumption.
In recent years, attention has been paid to a liquid crystal display device to which an OCB mode is applied, as a liquid crystal display device that is capable of improving a viewing angle and a response speed. The OCB mode liquid crystal display device is configured such that a liquid crystal layer including bend-aligned liquid crystal molecules is held between a pair of substrates in the state in which a predetermined voltage is applied between the pair of substrates. Compared to a twisted nematic (TN) mode, the OCB mode can realize a higher response speed and can optically self-compensate the influence of birefringence of light that passes through the liquid crystal layer by the alignment state of liquid crystal molecules. Thus, the viewing angle can advantageously be increased.
There is disclosed a circular polarization plate that is applicable to the OCB mode liquid crystal display device (see, e.g. Jpn. Pat. Appln. KOKAI Publication No. 2005-164957). This circular polarization plate includes a liquid crystal film in which a nematic hybrid alignment structure is fixed.
As regards the above-described OCB mode liquid crystal display device, there has been a demand for a further increase in viewing angle at which a high contrast can be obtained.