Liquid crystal display with multi-domains

• Main Authors: JOHN, RICHARD ALLEN, LIEN, SHUIIH ALAN, ANGELOPOULOS,MARIE
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 16.08.1995
• Edition: 6
• Subjects: ADVERTISING; ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICESUSING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION; CRYPTOGRAPHY; DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS, THE OPTICAL OPERATION OF WHICH ISMODIFIED BY CHANGING THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIUM OF THEDEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF THE INTENSITY,COLOUR, PHASE, POLARISATION OR DIRECTION OF LIGHT, e.g.SWITCHING, GATING, MODULATING OR DEMODULATING; DISPLAY; EDUCATION; FREQUENCY-CHANGING; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICS; PHYSICS; SEALS; TECHNIQUES OR PROCEDURES FOR THE OPERATION THEREOF

A liquid crystal display with an array of pixels comprises a liquid crystal layer having transparent electrodes on either side thereof with an alignment layer disposed on each of the electrodes and in contact with opposite surfaces of the liquid crystal layer. The alignment layers are capable of inducing a predetermined pre-tilt angle on the molecules of the liquid crystal. The pre-tilt angle inducing ability of at least one of the alignment layers, which is formed with only one alignment direction, has been selectively altered so that pre-tilt angle inducing ability in the altered area differs in the magnitude of the angle from the pre-tilt angle inducing ability of the unaltered area. With the liquid crystal molecules having at least two different pre-tilt angles, more than one domain is created when voltage is applied across the electrodes. The change in the pre-tilt angle inducing ability in the altered areas is achieved by exposure to a beam, such as ultra violet light, of sufficient energy. In the preferred embodiment, the display is an active type with twisted nematic liquid crystals.