New Electro-Optic Effect in a Room-Temperature Nematic Liquid Crystal

Abstract

The influence of electric dc fields on spontaneously aligned doped films of the nematic liquid crystal anisylidene-£-rc-butylaniline was investigated. Prior to the application of the field films were uniaxial with the optic axis normal to the substrate; under the influence of a field applied perpendicular to the optic axis films became biaxial. The magnitude of the induced retardation was measured as a function of field strength, and found to increase linearly with E .

Physics of liquid crystals

“…(4.1) ) This corresponds to a symmetrical distortion of the structure and the distortion can be detected optically as in the Effects of this kind have been observed by Haas et al (1970) in MBBA. The optical path difference was found to vary with the square of the voltage and no threshold was observed for the optical effects.…”

Flexoelectric switching in a zenithally bistable nematic device

“…2 In recent years, there has been an increase in research activity in this area, driven largely by promising display applications which rely on flexoelectricity. One of these is the "flexoelectric-optic effect" discovered by Patel and Meyer in 1987, 3 and since studied by the Chalmers ͑Sweden͒ 4 and Southampton/Cambridge ͑UK͒ 5 groups.…”

Flexoelectricity in nematic and smectic-A liquid crystals

“…For homodyne detection of the flexoelectric signal, the ends of the electrodes are masked off and the only light detected at the appropriate angle is the light scattered by the flexoelectric effect. If the voltage is modulated at a frequency W/21T, the homodyne signal It (2w) is at twice this frequency. For heterodyne detection a small part of the edge of the electrode pattern is exposed to the incident light.…”