Local Layer Structures in Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Cells Filled with a Material Which Exhibits Cholesteric-Chiral Smectic C Phase Transition

Abstract

We investigated the local layer structures in ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) cells which have a monostable switching mode using synchrotron X-ray micro diffraction. The monostable switching mode is realized by the FLC cells filled with a material which has cholesteric–chiral smectic C (Ch–SmC*) phase transition sequences. On cooling these cells from the isotropic phase to the SmC* phase, the texture of domains and stripes was observed. The X-ray micro diffraction study revealed that the smectic layer bending with the layer shrinkage generate the texture.