Liquid crystal panel, liquid crystal display device including liquid crystal panel, and method of manufacturing liquid crystal panel

1. A liquid crystal panel comprising an array substrate, a counter substrate arranged to face said array substrate, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between said array substrate and said counter substrate, said array substrate including multiple switching elements arranged in a matrix, a pixel electrode connected to said switching elements, and a counter electrode capable of forming a fringe electric field between said counter electrode and said pixel electrode, said switching elements, said pixel electrode, and said counter electrode being provided on an insulating substrate, wherein

one of said pixel electrode and said counter electrode is formed as a slit electrode having a slit portion and the other of said pixel electrode and said counter electrode is stacked over said slit electrode at said insulating substrate side with respect to said slit electrode with an insulating film interposed therebetween,

said array substrate includes a biaxial phase difference film and an array substrate polarizing plate arranged in this order on a surface of said insulating substrate opposite a side thereof facing said liquid crystal layer,

said counter substrate includes a counter substrate polarizing plate arranged on a side of said counter substrate opposite a side thereof facing said liquid crystal layer,

said slit portion of said slit electrode extends in a direction forming an angle exceeding 0° and not exceeding 15° relative to a horizontal direction of said liquid crystal panel in use,

a pretilt angle of a liquid crystal molecule forming said liquid crystal layer on the side of said array substrate is formed such that said liquid crystal molecule goes away from said array substrate in a direction to the right when viewed from a position facing a display surface of said liquid crystal panel, said direction to the right defining said horizontal direction, and said pretilt angle on the side of said counter substrate is formed such that said liquid crystal molecule goes away from said counter substrate in a direction to the left when viewed from a position facing said display surface of said liquid crystal panel, said direction to the left defining said horizontal direction, and

one of a direction of a delay phase axis of said biaxial phase difference film and a direction of an absorption axis of said array substrate polarizing plate is arranged in a position rotated clockwise in an angular range from over 0° to 1° from said horizontal direction or one of a direction of an absorption axis of said counter substrate polarizing plate and an alignment direction of said liquid crystal molecule is arranged in a position rotated anticlockwise in an angular range from over 0° to 1° from said horizontal direction.

2. The liquid crystal panel according to claim 1 , wherein

said insulating substrate, said biaxial phase difference film, said array substrate polarizing plate, and said counter substrate polarizing plate are each formed into a quadrilateral configuration, and

each of said biaxial phase difference film, said array substrate polarizing plate, and said counter substrate polarizing plate has at least one end side of an outer shape thereof arranged parallel to at least one end side of an outer shape of said insulating substrate.

3. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

the liquid crystal panel as recited in claim 1 ; and

an illumination unit to illuminate said liquid crystal panel.