Rca Inc.

Alan Sussman

Dietrich Meyerhofer

A display device comprises a pair of transparent substrates sandwiching therebetween a liquid crystal material which is reversibly switchable between transparent and forward light scattering states. Disposed behind the device, between it and a source of illumination, is a louver means comprising a plurality of elongated vanes of a dull black, light absorbent color. The louver is so disposed relative to a viewer of the device and the source of illumination as to provide a continuous, black background for the device.

Liquid crystal device with louver means located behind the liquid

For the purpose of controlling the alignment of the molecules of a liquid crystal material, one or more inside surfaces of the device enclosure is coated with successive slant evaporated layers. In one embodiment, the first or bottom layer is deposited at a comparatively high angle of deposition relative to the substrate surface, and the second or covering layer is deposited at a comparatively low deposition angle and at right angles to the direction of deposition of the first layer. In another embodiment, the two layers are interchanged. In both embodiments, the upper layer is extremely thin in comparison with the bottom layer.

Liquid crystal devices of the surface aligned type

A layer of unoxidized metal is provided on surfaces of the device in such manner as to possess an oriented microstructure capable of causing sympathetic alignment of the liquid crystal molecules. The metal layer is thereafter heated in the presence of oxygen, preferably in a device envelope sealing process, to oxidize the metal layer. The metal oxide layer is stable, in that it retains the molecular aligning characteristic, and is more transparent than the metal layer.

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Princeton, NJ, United States of America

Alan Sussman