Gray scale realization in bistable chiral splay nematic liquid crystal device

Abstract

The common feature of bistable liquid crystal displays (LCDs) is the existence of the two stable states without an external field. In the bistable chiral splay nematic (BCSN) mode, the splay and π twist states are used for the two stable states. The BCSN mode is a potential candidate of bistable modes, because it can be operated not only as a storage device, but also as a monostable device with a fast response time in the same panel. The transition between two memory states of the BCSN LCD is strongly coupled with the strength of applied electric fields. In this paper, we investigated the bistable property by calculating the bistable curves and the correlation between the horizontal electric fields strength. To realize the gray scale of BCSN LCD, We also propose a grid electrode structure with the varying-space between electrodes which causes the varying strength of the horizontal electric fields. The selective transitions by the electrode structure are demonstrated in this paper.