| abstract |
The present invention relates to high contrast electro-optical devices and ferroelectric liquid crystal compositions useful therein. In the present invention, a highly spontaneous polarized FLC composition having a dense FLC pitch on the ferroelectric phase and a long pitch on the chiral nematic is injected into an electrode plate, applied with a voltage to form an alignment layer, and brought into contact with the treated surface. High contrast is achieved by cooling the FLC from the nematic phase to the ferroelectric phase. The present invention provides an FLC composition that is useful for FLC electro-optical devices that require a dense ferroelectric pitch, and particularly useful for FLC electro-optical devices that require the presence of a spiral director structure within the FLC. It also provides a high contrast DHF-effect cell containing a non-surface stabilized FLC cell that shows a change in optical anisotropy as a function of applied electric field. |