A LIQUID CRYSTAL INFORMATION STORAGE DEVICE

摘要

A liquid crystal information storage device comprising a layer of material containing a side chain polymeric liquid crystal. At least a part of the material is heated from a viscous state above its glass transition temperature, to a fluid region in which the liquid crystalline material can readily undergo field-induced alignment. The material is addressed in this fluid region so as to achieve the selective variation in texture and orientation of molecules within the material and so record information, and the material is subsequently cooled and returned to its viscous state whereupon the information is retained.