| abstract |
An electro-optical cell, forming part of a luminous display device, has two light-transmissive walls formed by a pair of parallel transparent or translucent plates and a conductive coating on the inner surface of each plate, at least one of these coatings having discontinuities which form a pattern outlining, for example, an alphanumerical character. Each coating comprises several superposed thin metallic layers, including a layer of a noble metal (e.g. gold) bonded to the plate surface by a bismuth layer. Another bismuth layer may form a protective covering for the exposed side of the noble-metal layer. The space between the plates is filled with a liquid crystal whose light transmissivity is modified by the application of a voltage thereacross. |