PURPOSE: To provide a spatial optical modulation element and liquid crystal display device capable of maintaining a wide visual field angle and high-speed responsiveness and reproducing including half tone display to light input of dynamic image and having stable and high reliability by having a structure in which a photoconductor having a current flow regulating property and at least one liquid crystal layer selected from antiferroelectric phase as the phase state of liquid crystals exist by holding this layer with a pair of transparent electrodes.
CONSTITUTION: This spatial optical modulation element 117 is constituted by holding the photoconductor 105 having the current flow regulating property and the liquid crystal layer 118 having the antiferroelectric phase as the phase state are held between a pair of the transparent electrodes 102 and 114. This element is driven by constituting a unit period from the voltage period when the voltage required for the liquid crystals from making phase transition from the antiferroelectric phase to a ferroelectric state or above is impressed between the transparent electrodes at the polarity to attain the direction reverse from the current rectifying characteristic of the photoconductor and the voltage period when the voltage required for the liquid crystal layer 118 from making the phase transition from the ferroelectric phase to the antiferroelectric state or above is impressed between the transparent electrodes at the polarity to attain the direction forward of the current rectifying characteristic of the photoconductor 105.
HIBINO JUNICHI
OGAWA KUNI
