Effect of a Polyimide Coat on the Layer Structure in a Surface-Stabilized Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Cell

Abstract

The effect of surface treatment in surface stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal(SSFLC) cells on the smectic layer structure was studied by X-ray diffraction. The surfaces of glass plates were coated with polyimide to produce low- and high pretilt cells. Two different types of diffraction patterns were obtained at room temperature; a pair of peaks was observed both in the low-pretilt cell and the high-pretilt parallel cell, while a single peak was observed in the high pretilt antiparallel cell. The dependence of the diffraction pattern on the temperature was also studied, and thermal hysteresis of this pattern was found.