Molecular orientation near the surface of a smectic liquid crystal cell showing V-shaped switching by means of attenuated total internal reflection ellipsometry.
Attenuated total internal reflection ellipsometry was used to probe the molecular orientation and switching near the surface of a smectic liquid crystal cell showing V-shaped switching. We find that the switching occurs collectively near the surface as in the bulk. The molecules form a twisted state, but the twist angle relative to the bulk layer normal is small because of compensating twist of the smectic layer normal. As a result, a rather uniform molecular orientation is produced, resulting in high extinction and a high contrast ratio in the absence of a field.
Ikeda
S
S
Department of Organic and Polymeric Materials, Tokyo Institute of Technology, O-okayama, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 152-8552, Japan.
Ogasawara
T
T
Nakata
M
M
Takanishi
Y
Y
Ishikawa
K
K
Takezoe
H
H