Liquid crystal device with the retardation of the liquid crystal layer greater than amp;lgr;/2 and a method for driving the same

摘要

A liquid crystal device includes a pair of substrates, a liquid crystal layer interposed between the pair of substrates, at least one polarizing element, and a plurality of pixels. A retardation (d× . DELTA.n) of the liquid crystal layer satisfies the relation:P Pd×&Dgr;n &lgr;/2PPwhen incident light is output after passing through the liquid crystal layer once. The retardation satisfies the relation:PP2d×&Dgr;n &lgr;/2PPwhen the incident light is output after passing through the liquid crystal layer twice. In these relations, d a thickness of the liquid crystal layer, &Dgr;n is a birefringence, and . lambda. is a wavelength of the light incident on the liquid crystal layer. A driving voltage supplier applies a driving voltage including a voltage higher than a maximum voltage providing an extremum of the output light intensity in a voltage-output light intensity characteristic of the pixels to the plurality of pixels. Such application of the driving voltage allows utilization of a relaxation process of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer to obtain a predetermined light output density.