Observation of memory behaviour in cadmium sulphide nanorods doped ferroelectric liquid crystal mixture

In this study, cadmium sulphide (CdS) nanorods doped ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) sample cells have been prepared and studied. A memory effect has been observed in CdS nanorods (≤0.3?wt%) doped FLC mixture and confirmed by textures, dielectric and optical studies. The addition of nanorods increases the memory behaviour and efficiency. The occurrence of memory behaviour has been explained due to charge transfer from liquid crystal molecules to CdS nanorods and exists there for 5–15?min in 0.1–0.3?wt% CdS nanorods doped samples. An improvement in polarization, switching time, threshold voltage and rise time parameters has also been noticed in CdS nanorods doped FLC samples.     

手性沿面排列IPS模式液晶盒中的动态响应

根据Ericksen和Leslie的液晶弹性理论和动力学理论对共面转换液晶显示器件(IPS LCDs)响应时间参数进行分析,将手性平行排列引入这种模式,给出此种盒中的指向矢分布的动态方程.通过计算液晶盒中的瞬时指向矢分布,得到响应时间参数与扭曲角之间的关系.计算结果表明:具有一定扭曲角的手性沿面排列IPS模式的液晶盒将会有很高的响应速度.     

Temporal electrical response of chiral smectic liquid crystal displays with V/W-shaped electrooptical characteristic

Chiral smectic liquid crystal cells showing V-shaped electrooptical switching have been reported as one of the most promising technologies for high-end display applications. In this work, time-resolved electrical behaviour of these devices has been obtained through a set of systematic measurements. The electrical equivalent circuit has been derived, a number of simulations at different frequencies have been performed using commercial software for analogue circuits. Performance of this electrical model to account for time domain variations of switching currents in chiral smectic LC displays with V/W-shaped electrooptical response has been analyzed as well.     

新型驱动原理及低电压反射式双稳胆甾型液晶显示器的实验实现

通过对液晶材料参量、液晶盒结构的优化,本文研制了一种低电压驱动反射式双稳胆甾型液晶显示器.在此基础上提出了一种新型驱动方法,通过首先将液晶显示器所有像素从平面态刷新到焦锥态,可用普通的被动式矩阵驱动器件实现1ms快速驱动,新的驱动方法不存在光学延迟.     

Measurement of electro-optical parameters of a high contrast FLC film

We have fabricated a ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) film by using a novel ferroelectric mixture. The various ferroelectric parameters such as response time, spontaneous polarization and contrast ratio of the FLC film have been measured. Experimental results show that the FLC film exhibits high contrast ratios and fast optical response. The FLC film has a possibility of the use in display applications because of the performance characteristics.     

Numerical analysis and design of patterned electrode liquid crystal microlens array with dielectric slab

The phase profile of hole patterned electrode liquid crystal (LC) microlens array (MLA) was studied by a numerical method. It indicated that the formation of inverse domain and tilt wall in the liquid crystal cell limits the optical performance of the microlens array. The physical mechanism that determines the formation of inverse domain and tilt wall was elucidated by analyzing the phase profile and the liquid crystal director distribution. According to our numerical results, a new configuration for hole patterned electrode liquid crystal microlens array was proposed by introducing a dielectric slab between the patterned electrode and the liquid crystal. The physical parameters that influence the optical performance of this new configuration LC MLA were studied, which provide fundamental information for the design. The results indicate that the phase profile and focusing power of the new configuration is greatly improved.     

Comparison of methods for determination of viscoelastic properties in chiral smectics C*

The knowledge of the material parameters related to the microscopic structure of liquid crystals is one of the main problems in the construction of the liquid crystal devices. In the case of ferroelectric liquid crystals, the viscoelastic properties are very important as they determine the switching speed and the threshold voltage in displays. There exist several experimental methods for measurements of viscosity and elasticity constants in tilted smectic phases which exploit various phenomena for deformation detection, e.g., light transmission, polarization current, light modulation, dielectric constant, and helix deformation or helix unwinding. In this article, we compared the results of measurements obtained for the same material using various methods. The experiments proved that the correct bulk values of the mentioned material constants can be determined using thick, homeotropically aligned samples only.     

Holographic diffraction gratings using polymer-dispersed ferroelectric liquid crystals

By controlling the morphology of holographic polymer-dispersed ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs), highly aligned FLC domains are obtained for diffractive optical applications. Rapid, thresholdless switching is observed for various grating pitch sizes between approximately 3 and approximately 12 microm. A simple phenomenological model is presented encompassing a distribution of domain sizes and an effective field that stabilizes the FLC domains to reflect the observed thresholdless switching and optical behavior.     

A computational approach to the optical Freedericksz transition

The optical Freedericksz transition in a homeotropic nematic liquid crystal cell is modeled using a solver which combines direct solution of Maxwell’s equations with a relaxation algorithm for the liquid crystal director. We find that even in the equal elastic constant case the continuous optical Freedericksz transition can be driven first order. For films in which the optical retardation of the extraordinary wave is sufficiently large, a whole set of discontinuous jumps in transmission coefficient can occur. These jumps correspond to the existence of optical resonances in the liquid crystal film. Our results agree in the short wavelength limit with paraxial approximation calculations, and provide a strong test of the FDTD method for anisotropic materials such as liquid crystals.     

Switching behaviour of ferroelectric liquid crystals probed by optical second-harmonic generation

Ferroelectric properties of thin (1.5–4 μm planar cells of a ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) mixture are studied using electro-optic measurements, second-harmonic generation (SHG) and SHG interferometry. A switching behaviour of the FLC cells in external dc electric fields is observed. It is characterised by rotation of the polarisation plane of the transmitted light and by changes in the SHG intensity, phase and anisotropy dependences, which are attributed to a collective motion of the system as a ferroelectric uniform state with C₂ symmetry. Received: 16 October 2001 / Revised version: 18 March 2002 / Published online: 6 June 2002     

Static and dynamic electro-optic properties of a SmC* phase in surface stabilized geometry and dispersed in the polymer matrix

Comparative electro-optical measurements have been made on a ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) in surface stabilized geometry and confined to an ellipsoidal cavity within a polymer matrix. The static and dynamic electro-optical characteristics were measured for both systems and show qualitatively similar behaviours. A fast switching and important bistability were observed and characterized as a function of the applied electric field strength. The switching time between the two stable states of the surface stabilized cell was found to be longer than that found for the composite films. We argue that the faster switching dynamic of the FLC in cavities is due to the enhance of the rotational mobility of the molecules, probably (and partly) because of the soft anchoring character of the molecules at the cavity walls. Using a collective switching model in the high field regime, which assume a linear coupling between the spontaneous polarization and the local cavity electric field, we give an estimate of the rotational viscosity of the FLC molecules in the droplets.Received: 5 October 2003, Published online: 5 February 2004PACS: 61.30.Pq Microconfined liquid crystals: droplets, cylinders, randomly confined liquid crystals, polymer dispersed liquid crystals, and porous systems - 61.30.Hn Surface phenomena: alignment, anchoring, anchoring transitions, surface-induced layering, surface-induced ordering, wetting, prewetting transitions, and wetting transitions - 77.80.Fm Switching phenomena     

动态全息三维显示研究最新进展

全息三维显示是真三维显示技术, 其原理是利用光学干涉记录和衍射再现将物体或场景的三维信息全部重建出来, 所以观看全息三维图像与观看真实物体或场景的效果一样. 近期全息研究领域有一些突破性的成果被报道, 将推动全息显示的应用不断走向成熟. 本文将重点介绍基于光学材料和空间光调制器为全息图承载载体的动态全息三维显示最新发展状况. 虽然动态全息三维显示研究仍然存在挑战, 但最近研究中已经利用光学材料实现了实时动态全息三维视频显示, 这为未来实现大尺寸、高分辨率、彩色全息真三维视频显示提供了可能.     

用偏光干涉法动态测量扭曲向列型液晶指向矢

提出一种基于双折射晶体劈的偏振态实时测量方法,并将该方法用于扭曲向列型液晶透射光的偏振态分析,实现了液晶分子平均指向矢的动态测量.利用基于晶体劈的偏光干涉法将待测光的偏振参量编码为两组干涉条纹,通过对干涉条纹定位实现偏振态的实时测量;再根据液晶指向矢的倾角、扭转角与透射光偏振态之间的关系,推算出液晶分子平均指向矢的动态信息.本实验测量液晶指向矢的速度为每秒5次,液晶平均指向矢的倾角、扭转角的测量准确度达到0.2°.本文研究为液晶分子平均指向矢的动态测量提供了一种有效途径.     

Dielectric, thermal and optical study of an unusually shaped liquid crystal

Dielectric measurements have been carried out for the determination of real and imaginary parts of the permittivity of a newly synthesized, unusually shaped liquid crystal. The sample has been investigated in the frequency range from 100 Hz to 10 MHz within a temperature range 80-130 °C. The dielectric measurements in the smectic A phase indicate a Cole-Cole type of dispersion, and the activation energy was found to be 5.5 meV by using the Arrhenius plot of relaxation time. In addition to this, thermal and optical transmittance studies have also been conducted in the above mentioned temperature range, and the temperature dependence of these parameters has been discussed in detail. The phase transition temperature obtained from a differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) study matches within 2 °C that was obtained from an optical transmittance study. The dielectric and optical behavior of the unusually shaped liquid crystal has been explained on the basis of a proposed theoretical model in which a sample possesses two different conformers having induced polarizations in opposite directions.     

Changes in material parameters for dye-doped ferroelectric liquid crystal

Addition of the dichroic anthraquinone dye molecules in pure ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) matrix results in many improvement in the various vital parameters of the pure FLC. However, addition of anthraquinone dye molecules in pure FLC matrix is not advantageous every time. There are certain constraints which are crucial for the application of these systems into many devices. In this article, we have discussed the concentration and temperature dependence of vital properties of dye-doped FLC. In this study there is improvement in contrast ratio by dye doping due to enhancement in plane switching for dye-doped FLC.     

Optical properties of a nematic twist cell

We show that many of the complicated static and dynamic optical transmission characteristics of a Schadt-Helfrich twist cell, including the “bounce” in transmission that is observed at negative oblique angles of incidence after switching it off, can be predicted quite well from a very simple dynamic model. The model ignores flow and has only a viscous resistance to angular reorientation, in addition to the Ossen-Frank elastic properties. The bounce observed in some cases with normally incident light cannot be predicted by the model. As expected, the model yields equilibrium configurations at any applied voltage that give the observed transmission very accurately. Dynamic observations in the upper part of the nematic temperature range, where the observed bounce at normal incidence is small, are well reproduced by the model. At lower temperatures the discrepancies are larger. When interpreted with the model, both dynamic and static measurements concur in indicating that the directors of the liquid crystal adjacent to the surfaces assumed a more or less permanent tilt of a few degrees in our cell. Alignment was obtained by rubbing the conducting electrodes in one direction with linen cloth.     

Evaluation of structural and adhesive properties of nylon 6 and PTFE alignment films by means of atomic force microscopy

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has become a powerful technique for submicron investigation of surface properties. In this work we use the capability of this technique to investigate dielectric films used to align ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLC). In fact, the final performance of a surface stabilized FLC (SSFLC) flat panel display strongly depends on the alignment layer properties and quality. This work focuses on a comparison of two alignment films: the more conventional polyamide, nylon 6, and polytetrafluoroethilene (PTFE, commercially known as Teflon), only recently used as a new aligning material. A micromorphological characterization of the sample surfaces has been carried out in order to correlate structure with alignment properties of both polymer films. The results show varying roughness and periodicity wavelengths for the two alignment layers. These different properties can be related to different anchoring forces between aligning surfaces and FLC molecules and therefore to a different electrooptical response of SSFLC cells. In addition to the topographic characterization, AFM non-conventional measurements have been performed on alignment layers deposited on different transparent conductive oxides, such as indium tin oxide (ITO) and SnO₂, used to make electrodes in SSFLC displays. These measurements provide local information on the adhesive properties of the studied alignment materials as a function of substrate coating. These observations indicate less adhesion of PTFE with respect to nylon 6. Received: 16 April 2000 / Accepted: 16 April 2000 / Published online: 13 September 2000     

Optical response from dual-frequency hybrid-aligned nematic liquid crystal cells

Dual-frequency hybrid-aligned nematic liquid crystal cells and the influence of the parameters of a control electric field on their optical response are studied. It is found that the harmonic oscillations of the optical transmission in such cells are observed in the interval between low frequency-to-high frequency voltage switchings unlike in conventional twisted nematic cells. A V-shaped bistable optical response is obtained by successively applying sinusoidal electric fields with frequencies of 1 and 30 kHz to a twisted nematic cell. For a liquid crystal layer 8 ??m thick and an applied voltage of 50 V, the response time is 10 ms. In a hybrid-aligned twisted-nematic cell with a large initial tilt angle of the director (about 70°), the V-shaped optical response is observed when the inclined homeotropic state is switched to the twisted state by applying a 30-kHz field. The initial structure of the layer recovers as a result of natural elastic relaxation, and the response time increases roughly fourfold.     

反扭曲向列相液晶盒中的引流

根据Erickson-Leslie流体动力学方程,研究了反扭曲向列相液晶盒.该液晶盒只有在有外场的情况下才会扭曲.通过计算模拟得出指向矢构形和流速与时间的关系.在外加电压情况下,由于存在引流效应导致指向矢分布不正常.     

Dynamic behaviors of ferroelectric liquid crystal molecules under an applied electric field

The dynamic changes in ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) molecular alignments under an applied electric field are examined by observing the formation of conoscopic figures with a time resolution of 0.1 ms. Close agreements between observed and simulated conoscopic figures under low voltage (30 V) were obtained. Under high voltage (120 V), however, the observed conoscopic figures became blurred between 0.8 ms and 1.1 ms after reversal of the electric field. The light scattering producing the blurriness occurred due to the development of fast transient molecular alignments during the switching transition above the applied voltage 70 V.