Director movement and potential function of surface stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal cells by electrooptical investigations

Electrooptical investigations on a ferroelectric liquid crystal (DOBAMBC) were carried out on a well aligned sample in a 2 μm cell. On the basis of these measurements the complete average director movement during a switching process caused by an electric field can be calculated and will be discussed. The thermodynamic potentials at the S_A*-S_C* phase transition were determined from the experimental results with a modified Landau theory. They serve as a basis for a discussion of the phase transition and the influence of the surface orientation. Some preliminary results were obtained concerning the electrooptical behaviour of the S_H* phase.