Effects of chiral dopant on electro-optical properties of nematic liquid crystal cells under in-plane switching and non-uniform vertical electric fields

The electro-optical properties of the chiral nematic liquid crystal cell, driven by in-plane switching and non-uniform vertical electric fields, are investigated. The Bragg reflection, threshold voltage, and helical configuration are significantly related with the chiral dopant concentration. Through the driving-mode switching, two bistable helical structures without holding voltages are developed. The behavior of voltage- and temperature-dependent light reflection associated with the helical structure transition is also revealed. A fast bistable switching response (similar to 5 ms) is successfully achieved by the three-terminal-electrode architecture. Further, the proposed cell shows a display time of over 6 hr in the unplugged power state. (C) 2014 Optical Society of America