LIQUID CRYSTAL ELEMENT AND ITS PRODUCTION

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a liquid crystal element having good orientability and high contrast by creating an orientation state of a good extinction characteristic in an initial stage of liquid crystal cell manufacture when antiferroelectric liquid crystals or a ferroelectric liquid crystal phase having the spiral pitch shorter than the spiral pitch of visible light is used. SOLUTION: A pair of substrates having at least transparent electrodes and orientation control layers are disposed to face each other apart a specified cell thickness spacing. A liquid crystal material is held between these substrates. The liquid crystal material exhibits the antiferroelectric liquid crystal phase or the ferroelectric liquid crystal phase of the spiral pitch shorter than the spiral pitch of the visible light. The liquid crystal material exhibits a chiral nematic liquid crystal phase on a high temp. side and the directions of the uniaxial orientation treatments of the orientation control layers of both substrates are approximately parallel when viewed from the direction perpendicular to the substrate surfaces. The liquid crystals have a chevron layer structure at the temp. at which the liquid crystals exhibit the liquid crystal phase. In addition, the direction of this chevron structure and the direction of the pretilt of the liquid crystal molecules are the same.