Liquid crystal cell and scanning antenna

A liquid crystal cell including multiple antenna units includes a TFT board that includes a first dielectric substrate, TFTs on the first dielectric substrate, and patch electrodes electrically connected to the TFTs, a slot board that includes a second dielectric substrate and a slot electrode having slots on the second dielectric substrate, a conductive alignment film having conductivity on at least one of the patch electrodes and the slot electrode, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the TFT board and the slot board with the patch electrodes and the slot electrode facing each other. The liquid crystal layer includes liquid crystal molecules that are horizontally aligned with respect to the TFT board and the slot board while no voltage is being applied across the patch electrodes and the slot electrode.