Effect of Surface Anchoring on Optical Bistability in Deformed Helix Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal

Abstract

The effect of surface anchoring on the optical bistability in deformed helix ferroelectric liquid crystal (DHFLC) has been investigated by electro-optical and textural methods. The threshold voltage studies have been carried out in strongly and weakly treated DHFLC cells. The long lasting memory effect has been observed in weakly treated DHFLC cells, which is due to minimization of depolarizing and ionic charges. Moreover, the response time has been shown to exhibit the dependence on the surface anchoring and the cell thickness. The informations obtained could be helpful for optimizing the parameters for memory devices based on DHFLC materials.

Keywords:

• deformed helix ferroelectric liquid crystal
• memory effect
• response time
• surface anchoring

Acknowledgments

The authors sincerely thank Dr. Vikram Kumar, Director, National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi for continuous encouragement and interest in this work. We sincerely thank to Drs. S. S. Bawa and I. Coondoo for useful discussions. The authors (JP and AC) are thankful to CSIR, New Delhi for financial assistance.