Ferroelectric liquid crystal device with particular primer alignment, and liquid crystal layers

A ferroelectric liquid crystal device, comprising:

• a pair of opposite electrodes at least one of which is coated with a primer layer and an alignment control film formed on the primer layer, and a ferroelectric liquid crystal disposed between the opposite electrodes:
• wherein said primer layer has a thickness d.sub.1 and comprises a material having a dielectric constant .epsilon..sub.1, said alignment control film has a thickness d.sub.2 and comprises a material having a dielectric constant .epsilon..sub.2, satisfying the relationships of:
• d.sub.1 >d.sub.2 and .epsilon..sub.1 >.epsilon..sub.2 ;
• and said ferroelectric liquid crystal comprises at least one mesomorphic compound represented by the formula (1) below:
• R.sub.1 --A.sub.1 --X--A.sub.2 --R.sub.2 ( 1),
• wherein A.sub.1 and A.sub.2 respectively denote a 6-membered ring-containing divalent group;
• and X denotes a single bond or a divalent chain group;
• R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 respectively denote a branch or linear chain group, R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 being the same or different;
• wherein at least one of R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 in the formula (1) is a group represented by the formula (2) below:
• ##STR28## wherein Y denotes a single bond, ##STR29## of 0-8;
• n denotes 0 or 1;
• R.sub.3 denotes a branched or linear alkyl group of 1-18 carbon atoms or an alkoxy or alkoxycarbonyl group containing a branched or linear alkyl group of 1-18 carbon atoms, wherein R.sub.3 has at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of halogen atom, alkoxy group, trifluoromethyl group and cyano group;
• Z denotes methyl, halogen, cyano or trifluoromethyl group;
• and * denotes the location of an asymmetric carbon atom.

A ferroelectric liquid crystal device, comprising:

• a pair of opposite electrodes at least one of which is coated with a primer layer and an alignment control film formed on the primer layer, and a ferroelectric liquid crystal disposed between the opposite electrodes:
• wherein said primer layer has a thickness d.sub.1 and comprises a material having a dielectric constant .epsilon..sub.1, and said alignment control film has a thickness d.sub.2 and comprises a material having a dielectric constant .epsilon..sub.2, satisfying the relationships of:
• d.sub.1 >d.sub.2 and .epsilon..sub.1 >.epsilon..sub.2 ;
• and said ferroelectric liquid crystal comprises at least one mesomorphic compound represented by the formula (1) below:
• R.sub.1 --A.sub.1 --X--A.sub.2 --R.sub.2 ( 1),
• wherein R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 respectively denote a branch or linear chain group having a substituent, R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 being the same or different;
• X denotes a single bond or a divalent chain group;
• and A.sub.1 and A.sub.2 respectively denote a 6-membered ring-containing divalent group;
• wherein at least one of A.sub.1 and A.sub.2 in the formula (1) is represented by the following formula (3):
• --A.sub.3).sub.p (A.sub.4 --.sub.q ( 3),
• wherein p and q are respectively 0, 1 or 2;
• and A.sub.3 and A.sub.4 are respectively one of the following groups:
• ##STR30## wherein A.sub.3 and A.sub.4 in the formula (3) have at least one substituent selected from the group consisting of halogen atom, alkoxy group, trifluoromethyl group and cyano group.