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Abstract
Nematic liquid crystals (NLCs) have been widely used to image the static and dynamic domain structure that occurs in poled ferroelectric crystals. The interaction mechanism is influenced by both the coupling of the ferroelectric polarisation with the NLC and the effect on the surface anchoring of the NLC director due to the ferroelectric substrate. This paper reports the formation and observation of poled structures in thin film ferroelectric ceramic systems incorporated in a novel liquid crystal device architecture. Hybrid display devices combining thin film oxide ferroelectrics (OFEs) with NLCs are described. The OFEs are of the lead zirconate-lead titanate, Pb(Zr0.30Ti0.70)O3(PZT 30/70) system, are under 1 μm thick, transparent and are combined with commercially available NLCs. Visualisation of poled domains within the OFE is demonstrated. The mechanism of coupling the polarisation of the OFE with the orientation of the NLC is described and preliminary results are discussed.