新型多畴扭曲向列相液晶显示器

提出在像素电极下方放置凸起物,获得具有宽视角特性的多畴扭曲向列相液晶显示器。该模式比传统的多畴TN模式摩擦过程少,工艺过程简单。在这种液晶显示器中,初始状态(未加电)时,分子排列结构和普通单畴TN模式相同,在加电压状态时,由于凸起物的存在,液晶分子沿着4个不同的方向排列形成多畴区域。文中运用专业液晶模拟软件模拟,对该液晶显示器的电光特性进行研究,结果表明,该液晶显示器具有宽视角、色散小及色彩还原性较好的特性。     

High transmittance in-plane switching liquid crystal displays

We have developed a high-transmittance in-plane switching (HT-IPS) liquid crystal display (LCD) using special electrode design on the same substrate. The featured electrode configuration generates substantial horizontal electric fields between the electrode groups, and fringe fields with rich horizontal components within the regions of electrode groups. The former is similar to the IPS mode and the latter is similar to the fringe-field switching (FFS) mode. The HT-IPS mode exhibits a high transmittance (> 90 % of twisted nematic (TN) mode), as well as wide viewing angle for cells using both positive and negative dielectric anisotropy LC materials. In addition, we also compare the electro-optical performance of the HT-IPS with IPS and FFS cells under the same conditions.     

高透过率共面转换液晶显示器

我们开发了一种在同一个基板上使用特殊电极设计的高透过率共面转换(HT-IPS)液晶显示器。这种特殊的电极构造在电极组之间产生实际的水平电场,在电极组区域内的边缘电场具有较高水平场成份。上半部分类似于IPS模式,而下半部分类似于边缘场转换(FFS)模式。HT-IPS模式显示出了很高的透过率[大于扭曲向列相(TN)模式的90%],同时,无论使用正性或负性各向异性的液晶材料,液晶盒都具有宽视角。此外,我们对比了相同条件下HT-IPS与IPS、FFS盒的光电特性。     

单玻璃基板与各向异性聚合物膜的IPS-LCD的应用

介绍了一种使用单片玻璃基板和各向异性聚合物膜的轻型、共面转换液晶显示(IPS-LCD)技术。液晶分子由伸长的聚合物膜内的颗粒排列。各向异性聚合物膜的取向性能与聚酰亚胺(PI)摩擦层相当。良好的液晶取向性能使新器件的对比度(514:1)、驱动电压和响应时间都能够与双玻璃基板LCD相比拟。这种各向异性膜也能作为拓宽视角的相位补偿膜来使用。该技术特别引人注目之处在于制作单基板显示器,同时它也具有实现双层宾主显示和IPS-LCD柔性显示的潜在应用。     

IPS-LCD using a glass substrate and an anisotropic polymer film

A lightweight in-plane-switching liquid crystal display (IPS-LCD) using a single glass substrate and an anisotropic polymeric film is demonstrated. The liquid crystal molecules are aligned by the elongated polymer grain of the film. The alignment capability of the anisotropic film is comparable to a buffed polyimide layer. Compared to the LCD using two glass substrates, our new device exhibits a comparable contrast ratio (/spl sim/514:1), driving voltage, and response time because of good LC alignment. Such an anisotropic film can also function as a phase compensation film for widening the viewing angle. This technology is particularly attractive for making single-substrate displays and also has potential for a double-layered guest-host display and a flexible display using IPS LCDs.     

基于FFS架构实现宽窄视角切换

基于公共场合隐私保护的需求,宽窄视角可切换的液晶显示技术有着迫切的市场需求。现有宽窄视角切换技术不但增加了显示装置的厚度与成本,而且降低了原本宽视角模式下的显示效果。本文研究了一种基于负性液晶FFS模式的宽窄视角切换技术,它通过在彩色滤光片一侧形成高预倾角配向(40°～60°),在同侧第三电极施加弱电场时,液晶分子离轴方向具有较大相位延迟,形成大视角观看时的暗态漏光与对比度下降,实现窄视角显示模式。而同侧第三电极施加强垂直电场时,大的预倾角液晶分子因负介电各项异性使得倾角降低,可减少暗态漏光和提升对比度,实现宽视角显示模式。验证结果表明:宽视角模式时,其上下左右视角均可达到85°以上;而窄视角模式时,左右视角仅为40°,且具有较好的对称性。本技术结构简单,驱动灵活,在防窥显示领域具有很好的应用前景。     

Modeling of Blue Phase Liquid Crystal Displays

We propose a numerical model based on Kerr effect for simulating the electro-optics of polymer-stabilized blue phase liquid crystal displays (BP-LCDs). Parameters affecting the electro-optics of BP-LCDs in in-plane-switching (IPS) structures, such as wavelength, temperature, electrode dimension, and cell gap are investigated. In addition, viewing angle and color shift of IPS BP-LCDs are studied.      

The wide view (WV) film for enhancing the field of view of LCDs

This paper reviews the technologies of the wide view (WV) film. The WV film is an optical compensation film, which remarkably enhances the field of view of twisted nematic (TN) thin-film transistor liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCDs). We have recently developed a new WV film for the OCB mode, which promises a fast optical response speed and wide viewing angle LCD-TV. The WV film is made of a hybrid alignment polymerized discotic material (PDM) layer coated on a (tri-acetyl cellulose (TAC) substrate. The PDM layer alignment technology and the TAC retardation control technology give us the flexibility to develop a compensation film for any LCD mode and allow a cost effective roll-to-roll polarizer lamination process.     

共面转换型42英寸液晶电视的发展

我们通过使用超级共面转换(SuperIn-Plane-Switching)模式和过驱动(Over-Driving)电路技术,开发出具有宽视角和快速响应的42英寸(1280×768,159)大尺寸液晶电视(LCD-TV)。通过使用膜超级共面转换技术获得了在任意方向的宽视角,通过优化液晶材料和液晶盒的设计,获得了更快的响应时间(12ms)。     

一种采用内部线栅偏振片的半透半反射式液晶显示器

为了同时获得具有高透射率和反射率的液晶显示器,提出了一种采用内部线栅式偏振片(wiregridpolarizer,WGP)的单倍盒间距的半透半反式液晶显示器方法。在反射模式中,液晶盒内嵌的WGP作为依赖于偏振的外界光的反射器;在透射模式中,不需要消色差的四分之一波片。基于液晶盒的初始取向,该器件可用于正常显黑模式(垂直取向)和正常显白模式(扭曲向列相取向)。本文研究了这两种器件结构详细的电光特性,如电压依赖光效率特性和视角特性。     

Inside Front Cover: Unprecedented Dual Alignment Mode and Freedericksz Transition in Planar Nematic Liquid Crystal Cells Doped with Gold Nanoclusters (Adv. Funct. Mater. 2/2008)

On p. 212, Torsten Hegmann and co‐workers describe nematic liquid crystals (N‐LCs) confined in planar liquid crystal cells after doping with small quantities of gold nanoclusters. These give rise to a dual alignment mode and electro‐optic response (Freedericksz transition). By fine‐tuning of experimental conditions, N‐LCs doped with gold nanoclusters can be electrically reoriented and aligned either like N‐LCs with a positive dielectric anisotropy (used in twisted nematic displays) in a planar cell or alternatively as N‐LCs with a negative dielectric anisotropy (used in large LCD TVs based on the vertical alignment mode). We demonstrate that alkylthiol‐capped gold nanoclusters doped into nematic liquid crystals (N‐LCs) with positive dielectric anisotropy give rise to an unprecedented dual alignment mode and electro‐optical response, which has a potential impact on current liquid crystal (LC) display technologies and N‐LC optical‐biosensor design. By fine‐tuning experimental conditions (temperature, electric field, and alignment), N‐LCs doped with gold nanoclusters can be aligned and electrically reoriented either like N‐LCs with a positive dielectric anisotropy in a planar cell or, alternatively, as N‐LCs with a negative dielectric anisotropy in a homeotropic cell, both at lower threshold voltages than the pure N‐LC.     

A Simple Transflective LCD for Mobile Applications

A double-cell-gap transflective liquid crystal display (TR-LCD) based on 63.6$^{circ}$ twisted nematic mode is proposed. With only one uniaxial positive A-film in transmissive region, this normally black TR-LCD exhibits several attractive features, such as high optical efficiency, low operation voltage, acceptable viewing angle, and good cell gap tolerance. Moreover, the electro-optical characteristics of reflective and transmissive regions match with each other well. Its fabrication process is fairly simple and it is suitable for mobile applications.      

Determining the Liquid-Crystal Polar Anchoring at High Electric Fields by Heterodyne Interferometer

A common-path heterodyne interferometer is proposed to determine the surface anchoring energy of a homogeneously aligned nematic liquid crystal (LC). This technique measures, with high sensitivity, the phase retardation of a nematic LC cell as a function of the applied voltage. According to the measured voltage-dependent phase retardation of the LC cells, a simple linear fitting over a well-specified voltage window can be achieved, leading to a precise determination of the polar anchoring energy. The anchoring energy , cell gap, and pretilt angle can be simultaneously obtained in the course of the same experiment.     

Liquid crystal applications in photonics

We developed new optical switches based on nematic and ferroelectric liquid crystal (LC) cells for photonics applications. Certain new LC switches based on the effect of total internal reflection in nematic LC and deformed helix ferroelectric effect ferroelectric LC with very fast response time were developed. Fast bistable optical switches of the light polarization based on ferroelectric liquid crystal cells were proposed. The switches are characterized by 100 us switching time and 26 dB crosstalk at the wavelength of 632.8 nm and bistable, i.e., required zero power consumption in the switch state.High frequency hysteretic free electrically controlled 0-2π phase modulation of light has been proposed using a very short helix pitch (less than 400 nm) deformed helix ferroelectric liquid crystal. The electrically controlled 0-2π hysteretic free phase modulation was achieved at the driving voltage frequency up to 4 kHz and the voltage amplitude of 32 V. The application of fast V-shaped deformed helix ferroelectric ferroelectric LC (DHF-FLC) for new active-matrix liquid crystal display (LCD) and optical data processing devices is envisaged.Photoalignment technology can be very useful for the new generation of liquid crystal devices as well as in new photovoltaic, optoelectronic and photonic devices based on highly ordered thin organic layers. We have investigated the LC photoalignment in superthin tubes, which are basic elements of switchable photonic crystal/liquid crystal structures and obtained the order parameter comparable with usual homogeneous nematic LC cells. We studied LC alignment on silicon surfaces with submicrometer-sized straight and curved waveguide profiles. The liquid crystal cladding refractive index was then varied according to the applied voltage, and subsequently the microresonator resonance wavelengths were tuned. Based on our initial measurements, the free spectral range (FSR) wavelength shift within the range of 20 nm was obtained, which is comparable with a thermooptic effect. The new voltagecontrollable Si-based add drop filters are envisaged based on this principle.     

A transflective liquid crystal display using an internal wire grid polarizer

To obtain high transmittance and reflectance simultaneously, a single cell gap transflective liquid crystal (LC) display using internal wire grid polarizer (WGP) is proposed. For the reflective mode, the imbedded WGP serves as a polarization-dependent reflector for the ambient light. For the transmissive mode, no achromatic quarter-wave film is needed. This device can be used as a normally black mode (using vertical alignment) and a normally white mode (using twist-nematic alignment), based on the initial LC cell alignment. Detailed electro-optic performance, such as voltage-dependent light efficiency and viewing angle of these two device configurations, is investigated.     

有限元法求解液晶层中的指向矢分布

建立了基于有限元法的液晶层中指向矢分布的计算方法,可以方便地考虑非对称取向和表面锚定能及其形式对指向矢分布的影响,作为应用实例,给出了非对称弱锚定情形下的液晶层下指向矢分布的计算结果。     

宽视角液晶显示器新进展

ＬＣＤ最严重的问题之一是视角窄，在扩大视角方面文献中途议的方法很多。本文介绍的三种方法是：双畴结构模式（ＤＤ）ＴＮ－ＬＣＤ，光学补偿弯曲结构模式（ＯＣＢ）ＬＣＤ和轴对称结构模式（ＡＳＭ）ＬＣＤ，这是因为它们在改进ＬＣＤ视角特性上是最有效的，也是最实用的。     

反射式扭曲向列相液晶显示器工作模式的演化

用动态参数空间方法研究了反射式扭曲向列相液晶显示的常白工作方式,观察到,当偏振片角度β变化时,显示从纯电控双折射（ECB）模式演化到反射式扭曲向列相模式（扭曲角为52°）。并且第一和第二ECB模式虽沿着不同路径演化,但最终合并成同一个优化反射式扭曲向列相模式。从反射式扭曲向列液晶显示模式的演化角度出发,研究了电光响应、反射率对波长的依赖关系等。     

Possibility of stereoscopic displays by using a viewing angledependence of twisted nematic liquid crystal cells

Stereoscopic displays that use the viewing angle dependence of twisted nematic (TN) liquid crystal cells to direct light to either the left or right eye have been investigated. From a calculation that combined Frank's elastic theory and Berreman's 4×4 matrix method, it is observed that a luminance ratio defined as the luminance of viewing direction divided by that from the opposite direction largely depends on a pretilt angle of liquid crystal material and the cell thickness. The maximum luminance ratio is obtained at the cell thickness of the second-minimum. From experimental results, clear transmittance inversion between left and right directions observed. The experimental results of the viewing angle dependence are in good agreement with calculation results. The luminance ratios were 4.7 in the cell with polyimide alignment layer (the pretilt angle 4.5°) and 17 in the cell with alignment layer of SiO oblique evaporation (the pretilt angle=40°)     

An O-plate compensated in-plane switching liquid crystal display

Pretilt angle effect on the dark-state light leakage and viewing angle of in-plane switching (IPS) liquid crystal display is investigated. As the liquid crystal (LC) pretilt angle increases, the light leakage becomes more severe and the off-axis light leakage from the out-of-plane LC directors cannot be neglected. Introducing an oblique compensation plate (O-plate) reduces the off-axis light leakages from the crossed linear polarizers and the anisotropic LC media simultaneously which, in turn, improves the viewing angle of the IPS LCD.