Liquid crystal device

摘要

A liquid crystal device is constituted by a pair of substrates at least one of which is provided with a uniaxial alignment axis, and a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed between the substrates to form a plurality of pixels arranged in rows and columns. Each pixel is provided with a switching element and an electrode for applying a voltage to the liquid crystal via the switching element. A matrix of signal lines comprising scanning signal lines and data signal lines is so arranged that each scanning signal line is disposed along a row of the pixels so as to connect a row of the switching elements provided to the row of the pixels and each data signal line is disposed along a column of the pixels so as to connect a column of the switching elements provided to the column of the pixels. The liquid crystal exhibits a phase transition series on temperature decrease of isotropic phase, cholesteric phase and chiral smectic C phase or of isotropic phase and chiral smectic C phase. The uniaxial alignment axis is arranged to form an angle of at least 10 degrees with respect to both the scanning and data signal lines so that the liquid crystal is aligned to form smectic layers of which a layer extension direction forms an angle of at most 10 degrees with respect to either one of the scanning and data signal lines.