Abstract:
A liquid crystal device, comprising: a pair of substrates each provided with an electrode including one substrate having thereon a color filter and a coating layer, and a liquid crystal layer comprising a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed together with spacer beads between the pair of substrates, wherein the liquid crystal layer has a thickness smaller than a diameter of the spacer beads and a maximum thickness of the coating layer, the coating layer having a pencil hardness of at most 7H. The above layer structure between the substrates is effective in improving resistance to external shock and providing a uniform cell gap.
Abstract:
A ferroelectric liquid crystal device of a cell structure having a suppressed increase of cell thickness along a cell side is constituted by disposing a ferroelectric liquid crystal between a pair of substrates each being provided with an electrode for driving a liquid crystal and disposed opposite to each other. Each of the substrates further has on the electrode at least one layer of an alignment control film subjected to an uniaxial aligning treatment. For suppressing a liquid crystal movement, said alignment film is formed on an uneven surface having a surface unevenness providing a difference in height of at most 50 nm (500 ANGSTROM ) and an average pitch of unevenness of at most 100 nm (1000 ANGSTROM ).
Abstract:
A ferroelectric liquid crystal device of a cell structure having a suppressed increase of cell thickness along a cell side is constituted by disposing a ferroelectric liquid crystal between a pair of substrates each being provided with an electrode for driving a liquid crystal and disposed opposite to each other. Each of the substrates further has on the electrode at least one layer of an alignment control film subjected to an uniaxial aligning treatment. For suppressing a liquid crystal movement, said alignment film is formed on an uneven surface having a surface unevenness providing a difference in height of at most 50 nm (500 ANGSTROM ) and an average pitch of unevenness of at most 100 nm (1000 ANGSTROM ).
Abstract:
A ferroelectric liquid crystal device is constituted by disposing a ferroelectric liquid crystal between a pair of substrates having thereon electrodes for voltage application and provided with uniaxial alignment axes, as by rubbing, so as to provide a high pretilt angle of at least 10 degrees. A problematic liquid crystal movement in such a high-pretilt angle ferroelectric liquid crystal device is suppressed by improving a smectic layer structure therein, inclusive of a symmetry of pretilt angles at the pair of substrate boundary surfaces. Such an improved smectic layer structure is accomplished by a realigning treatment after cooling to the chiral smectic phase or in the final stage of the cooling to the chiral smectic phase as by application of an AC electric field and/or by repetitive heating-cooling in the chiral smectic phase. The improved smectic layer structure is represented by, e.g., an X-ray diffraction peak having an increased peak area and/or a decreased half-value width.
Abstract:
A liquid crystal device is constituted by a pair of oppositely disposed substrates having opposing inner surfaces and opposing electrodes thereon, and a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed between the opposing electrodes. The liquid crystal device has an effective optical modulation region (2) and a peripheral region (3) outside the effective optical modulation region. In the device, liquid crystal molecules in the peripheral region have a pretilt angle ( alpha 2) which is larger than a pretilt angle ( alpha 1) of liquid crystal molecules in the effective optical modulation region. As a result, a local pressure irregularity or a cell thickness change caused by a liquid crystal molecular movement along an extension of the device is effectively suppressed.
Abstract:
A liquid crystal apparatus, comprising: a liquid crystal cell comprising a pair of substrates (11a,b), and a chiral smectic liquid crystal (1) showing at least two different optically stable states formed by cooling from a uniaxial alignment phase and disposed between the substrates (11a,11b); and a polarizer (P) and an analyzer (A) disposed to sandwiched the liquid crystal cell; wherein the chiral smectic liquid crystal (1), polarizer (P) and analyzer (A) are disposed to satisfy any one of the following sets of conditions I - IV characterized by combination of X, Y and Z directions shown below: with proviso that the chiral smectic liquid crystal (1) is disposed so that the long axes of the chiral smectic liquid crystal molecules are aligned with a twist in the X direction along the direction from the polarizer (P) toward the analyzer (A) to form an average molecular long axis proving one optically stable state, and when the average molecular long axis is switched to provide another optically stable state latched in the Y direction with respect to the direction from the analyzer (A) toward the polarizer (P), the polarizer (P) is disposed to have an electric vector transmission axis which is substantially in the Z direction with respect to the average molecular long axis.
Abstract:
A ferroelectric liquid crystal device of a cell structure having a suppressed increase of cell thickness along a cell side is constituted by disposing a ferroelectric liquid crystal between a pair of substrates each being provided with an electrode for driving a liquid crystal and disposed opposite to each other. Each of the substrates further has on the electrode at least one layer of an alignment control film subjected to an uniaxial aligning treatment. For suppressing a liquid crystal movement, said alignment film is formed on an uneven surface having a surface unevenness providing a difference in height of at most 50 nm (500 ANGSTROM ) and an average pitch of unevenness of at most 100 nm (1000 ANGSTROM ).
Abstract:
A liquid crystal apparatus comprises a) a liquid crystal device comprising an electrode matrix composed of scanning electrodes and data electrodes, and a ferroelectric liquid crystal; and b) a driving means. The driving means includes a first drive means for applying a scanning selection signal two or more scanning electrodes apart in one vertical scanning so at to effect in one picture scanning in plural times of vertical scanning, and a second drive means for applying data signals in synchronism with the scanning selection signal.