Field effect mode liquid crystal display

A liquid crystal cell with a predetermined viewing direction comprising:

• a layer of field effect mode liquid crystal material having a predetermined directional sense of characteristic molecular twist from the rear surface to the obverse surface thereof;
• a pair of opposing parallel plates for sandwiching said liquid crystal layer and defining first and second interfacial surfaces therewith;
• at least one of said plates over said obverse surface of said liquid crystal layer being transparent;
• each of said interfacial surfaces having a polarized anisotropic micro groove structure defined therein;
• each said micro groove structure being characterized by substantially similar peak and valley asymmetric profiles along a selected axis thereof;
• said peak and valley asymmetric profiles comprising relatively gentle rises and abrupt falls whereby said gentle rises define a direction of asymmetry for alignment with a known molecular orientation of said liquid crystal material;
• said directions of asymmetry and said selected axes of said plates being orthogonally disposed one with the other and obliquely disposed with respect to said predetermined viewing direction of said cell and both directed in the same directional sense as said predetermined characteristic molecular twist.

A liquid crystal cell comprising:

• a layer of field effect mode liquid crystal material wherein the molecules align with a twisted nematic structure, said liquid crystal material having optically active material added to make the twisting direction of the molecule alignment fixed;
• a pair of opposing parallel plates for sandwiching said liquid crystal layer and defining first and second interfacial surfaces therewith;
• at least one of said plates being transparent;
• each of said interfacial surfaces having polarized anisotropic micro groove structures defined therein;
• each of said micro groove structures being characterized by substantially asymmetric profiles along one axis thereof;
• and
• said interfacial surfaces being opposed in complementary fashion to thereby constrain a uniformly twisted alignment of molecules in said layer of liquid crystal material.