NOVEL ALIGNMENT TECHNIQUE FOR SURFACE STABILIZED FERROELECTRIC LIQUID-CRYSTAL

An alignment method for obtaining excellent surface stabilized ferroelectric liquid-crystal devices is described. Alignment is obtained by obliquely depositing the SiO in two steps. The first deposition involves vacuum coating at 60°angle and the second at 85°(orthogonally to the first) with the substrate normal. The method induces a high (∼20°-25°) pretilt surface which depends on the thickness of the second layer. The glass substrates are matched with antiparallel direction of evaporation of second coating. This ensures a selective pretilt of molecules and the uniformly tilted smectic layer structure. The advantages of this new method are the ease of large-scale production, defect-free large uniform monodomains, good contrast, bistability, and microsecond switching speed response.