UV Dichroism in Vertically Aligned Nematic Displays

Abstract

Vertically aligned negative nematics are employed in high-end projection applications, where extremely high light fluxes are employed. Under these conditions, the UV photochemical stability of the material becomes an issue that must be included in the characterization process of such devices. Photochemical aging tests for vertically aligned microdisplay, however, must take into account the linear dichroism shown by the liquid crystal material upon switching. In this work a method to evaluate UV linear dichroism is described. The method is included in a comparative study of the electrooptical performance of two negative nematic mixtures, one experimental and one commercial.

Keywords:

• electrooptical response
• liquid crystals
• UV dichroism
• vertically aligned nematic

Acknowledgments

This work has been partially supported by the European Commission through project no. IST-028154 ForK, and the Spanish Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia through grant no. TEC2005-08218.