Liquid crystal device
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsYasufumi Asao, Takeshi Togano
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A liquid crystal device suitable for analog gradational display according to active matrix drive is formed using a chiral smectic liquid crystal. The voltage-transmittance (V-T) characteristic change accompanying a cell thickness change can be minimized to allow the production of such a liquid crystal device at a higher yield. In the liquid crystal device, the liquid crystal is placed in such an alignment state that the liquid crystal is monostabilized under no voltage application and is tilted in response to the application of voltages of opposing polarities so that the saturation voltage becomes larger at small cell thickness (liquid crystal layer thickness).
Claims5
A liquid crystal device suitable for analog gradational display according to active matrix drive comprising:
- a pair of substrates disposed to have mutually opposing surfaces of which at least one has been subjected to a uniaxial aligning treatment, and
- a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed between the substrates so as to form a matrix of pixels, each provided with an active element and electrodes for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal via the active element, an average molecular axis of the liquid crystal being monostabilized at a first position under no voltage application, tilted under application of a first polarity of voltage in a first direction from the monostabilized first position depending on a magnitude of the applied voltage, and tilted under application of a second polarity of voltage opposite to the first polarity in a second direction opposite to the first direction from the monostabilized first position depending on a magnitude of the second polarity voltage,
- wherein the liquid crystal is placed in such an alignment state that a saturation voltage becomes larger at a smaller cell thickness so as to cancel a voltage drop caused by inversion of spontaneous polarization of the liquid crystal.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.