Affiliation:
1. State Key Laboratory of Advanced Displays and Optoelectronics Technologies, and Center for Display Research, Department of Electronics and Computer Engineering Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Clear Water Bay Road Kowloon Hong Kong
Abstract
We developed a novel method for achieving long‐term (>24 hours) true bi‐stability in helix‐free Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals (FLCs). Instead of employing asymmetric boundary conditions, traditionally used for achieving bi‐stability, we utilized symmetric boundary conditions and carefully optimized the anchoring conditions on both the top and bottom substrates using the photoalignment technology. The key to the newly observed long term bi‐stability is the twisted alignment structure. Surface roughness was found to play a crucial role in achieving sustained bi‐stability. This breakthrough holds promise for developing truly bi‐stable, fast modulators for photonic applications.