DESIGN AND SYNTHESIS OF LINEAR ELECTRO-OPTIC EFFECT SMECTIC A(*) MATERIALS

FERROELECTRIC (CHIRAL) SMECTIC C(*) LIQUID CRYSTALS (FLCS) EXHIBIT HIGH SPEED AND MULTISTATE ELECTRO-OPTIC AND DISPLAY DEVICE APPLICATIONS, PARTICULARLY WHEN INCORPORATED INTO THE SURFACE STABILIZED FERROELECTRIC LIQUID (SSFLC) LIGHT VALVE. THE TWO STATE (DIGITAL NATURE OF THE SSFLC DEVICE POSSESSES CERTAIN ADVANTAGES IN APPLICATIONS SUCH AS PASSIVE MULTIPLEXED FLAT PANEL DISPLAYS BUT DOES NOT ALLOW FOR A NATURAL GRAY-SCALE EFFECT DUE TO THE LACK OF INTERMEDIATE OPTICAL STATES. ANOTHER EFFECT OBSERVED IN CHIRAL SMECTIC LIQUID CRYSTALS, THE ELECTROCLINIC EFFECT, IS BASED ON THE SMECTIC A(*) PHASE AND AFFORDS A LINEAR SNALOG RESPONSE TO APPLIED VOLTAGE. CURRENTLY AVAILABLE MATERIALS ARE LIMITED BY THEIR SENSITIVITY TO TEMPERATURE VARIATION, AND THUS, NEED FOR TEMPERATURE CONTROL. A METHOD TO ACHIEVE TEMPERATURE INSENSITIVITY, THEREBY GREATLY EXPANDING THE BREADTH OF USEFULNESS OF THIS EFFECT IS DESCRIBED. TEMPERATURE INSENSITIVE ELECTROCLINIC DEVICES FILL THE GAP REQUIRING A RELATIVELY TEMPERATURE INSENSITIVE FAST (10 US) LINEAR ELECTROOPTICAL EFFECT. THIS PROJECT IS BEING DIRECTED TOWARD PREPARATION OF NEW MATERIALS THAT ARE BOTH PURE CHIRAL SMECTIC A(*) COMPONENTS AND MIXTURES OF MATERIALS CONTAINING THE NEW COMPONENTS WITH BROAD TEMPERATURE RAGES AND FAST ELECTRO-OPTIC RESPONSE TIMES.