Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Toshiharu Uchimi

Yukio Hanyu

Kenji Shinjo

Akio Yoshida

Masanobu Asaoka

Yutaka Inaba

Osamu Taniguchi

Masahiro Terada

Akira Tsuboyama

Takeshi Togano

Takashi Iwaki

Masataka Yamashita

Kazuharu Katagiri

Shinichi Nakamura

Hiroshi Matsuda

Takashi Enomoto

Hisaaki Kawade

Ken Eguchi

Haruki Kawada

Kazuya Ishiwata

Hiroyuki Nohira

Yoko Yamada

Masanao Kamei

Hiroyuki Kitayama

Yuko Morikawa

Syuji Yamada

Chieko Hioki

Kenji Shingo

Liquid crystal element and liquid crystal apparatus using the same

A ferroelectric chiral smectic liquid crystal composition is provided with a fast response speed and a less temperature dependency of the response speed by containing at least one mesomorphic compound represented by the formula (1) below: ##STR1## wherein R.sub.1 denotes an alkyl group having 1-16 carbon atoms and capable of having a substituent; R.sub.2 denotes an alkyl group, alkoxy group, alkoxycarbonyl group, acyloxy group or alkoxycarbonyloxy group each having 1-16 carbon atoms and capable of having a substituent; and ##STR2## respectively denotes ##STR3## each capable of having a substituent.

Chiral smectic liquid crystal composition and device using the same

A ferroelectric liquid crystal element has a ferroelectric liquid crystal with an orientation state represented by .theta.&lt;.alpha.+.delta. wherein .alpha. is a pretilt angle of the ferroelectric liquid crystal, .theta. is a tilt angle, and .delta. is an inclination angle of an Sm*C layer. In another embodiment is a liquid crystal element having a chiral smectic liquid crystal satisfying T.sub.1 /T.sub.2 &lt;2.5 in a first orientation state wherein T.sub.2 is a pulse width threshold values of a portion in a second orientation state adjacent lightning and hairpin defects and T.sub.1 is a pulse width threshold value in a first orientation state of a portion outside of the T.sub.2 portion. In both embodiments, the ferroelectric liquid crystal exhibits at least two stable states in orientation. An angle .theta..sub.a midway between optical axes of these two stable states and the tilt angle 8 of the ferroelectric liquid crystal satisfy the condition .theta.&gt;.theta..sub.a &gt;.theta./2.

Chiral smectic liquid crystal element having uniform high temperature

A ferroelectric liquid crystal composition, comprising at least three mesomorphic compounds represented by the following formula (I): ##STR1## wherein C* denotes an asymmetric carbon atom; E denotes a mesomorphic compound residue including a divalent 6-membered ring-containing group capable of having a substituent; and A and B are mutually different groups respectively selected from the class of (a) methyl group, (b) linear or branched alkyl groups having 2-18 carbon atoms capable of having a substituent, (c) linear or branched alkyloxy groups having 1-18 carbon atoms, (d) linear or branched alkyloxyalkyl groups having 2-18 carbon atoms, (e) linear or branched alkyloxycarbonyl groups having 2-18 carbon atoms, (f) linear or branched alkyloxycarbonylmethyl groups having 3-18 carbon atoms; (g) chlorine or bromine, (h) fluorine, (i) trifluoromethyl group, and (j) cyano group; the above-mentioned at least three mesomorphic compounds belonging to at least three mutually different series of compounds which are different from each other in the combination of the groups A and B attached to the asymmetric carbon atom respectively selected from any one of the sub-classes (a)-(j).

Ferroelectric liquid crystal composition

A chiral smectic liquid crystal composition is formed by including at least one species of a mesomorphic compound represented by the following formula (I): ##STR1## wherein X denotes F, Cl, Br, CF.sub.3, NO.sub.2 or CN; Y denotes a single bond, ##STR2## --CH.sub.2 O-- or --OCH.sub.2 --; and R denotes a linear or branched alkyl group having 1-20 carbon atoms optionally substituted. The composition shows improved switching characteristics and, when used in combination with an alignment film providing a high pre-tilt angle, provides an increased contrast at a large drive margin and with little tendency of monostabilization of a memory state.

Chiral smectic liquid crystal composition, liquid crystal device,

Liquid crystal composition and liquid crystal device containing same

A liquid crystal composition, comprising: at least one optically active mesomorphic compound having an asymmetric carbon atom to which a fluorine atom is directly bonded.

Fluoroalkane derivative, its composition and liquid crystal device using

A ferroelectric liquid crystal element has a ferroelectric liquid crystal with an orientation state represented by .theta.&lt;.alpha.+.delta. wherein .alpha. is a pretilt angle of the ferroelectric liquid crystal, .theta. is a tilt angle, and .delta. is an inclination angle of an Sm*C layer. In another embodiment is a liquid crystal element having a chiral smectic liquid crystal satisfying T.sub.1 /T.sub.2 &lt;2.5 in a first orientation state wherein T.sub.2 is a pulse width threshold values of a portion in a second orientation state adjacent lightning and hairpin defects and T.sub.1 is a pulse width threshold value in a first orientation state of a portion outside of the T.sub.2 portion. In both embodiments, the ferroelectric liquid crystal exhibits at least two stable states in orientation. An angle .theta..sub.a midway between optical axes of these two stable states and the tilt angle .theta. of the ferroelectric liquid crystal satisfy the condition .theta.&gt;.theta..sub.a &gt;.theta./2.

Ferroelectric liquid crystal element having uniform high temperature

A ferroelectric liquid crystal device comprises a pair of opposite electrodes and a ferroelectric liquid crystal disposed between the electrodes. At least one of the opposite electrodes is coated with a primer layer and an alignment layer on the primer layer. The alignment layer has a thickness d.sub.2 and is made of a material having a dielectric constant .epsilon..sub.2, and the primer layer has a thickness d.sub.1 and is made of a material having a dielectric constant .epsilon..sub.1 which are greater than d.sub.2 and .epsilon..sub.2, respectively. The ferroelectric liquid crystal is at least one mesomorphic compound represented by the formula R.sub.1 --A.sub.1 --X--A.sub.2 --R.sub.2 wherein A.sub.1 and A.sub.2 respectively denote a 6-membered ring-containing divalent group; X denotes a single bond or a divalent chain group; and R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 respectively denote a branch or linear chain group, R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 being the same or different.

Ferroelectric liquid crystal device with particular primer alignment,

A liquid crystal cell is formed by a pair of substrates each provided with an electrode and disposed spaced apart from each other, spacers and particulate adhesives respectively dispersed between the substrates and a liquid crystal, particularly a ferroelectric liquid crystal, sandwiched between the substrates. The particulate adhesives are dispersed with a non-uniform distribution over the cell extension so as to minimize initial zigzag or serrate alignment defects.

Liquid crystal cell having substantially uniform distribution of spacers

A ferroelectric liquid crystal device comprises a pair of opposite electrodes and a ferroelectric liquid crystal disposed between the electrodes. At least one of the opposite electrodes is coated with an insulating film having a thickness of 200 .ANG. or larger. The ferroelectric liquid crystal has a capacitance C.sub.LC measured in (nF/cm.sup.2) and a spontaneous polarization PS measured in (nC/cm.sup.2) and the insulating film has a capacitance Ci measured in (nF/cm.sup.2) wherein the magnitudes of C.sub.LC, Ps, and Ci satisfy the relationship of

Ferroelectric liquid crystal device

A liquid crystal device includes a pair of substrates with a orientation controlling film being provided on at least one of the substrates through a base layer, and a ferroelectric smectic liquid crystal which is disposed between the substrates. The orientation controlling film has a uniaxial orientation processing axis. The ferroelectric smectic liquid crystal generates two different stable orientation states at high and low temperatures regions within the temperature range achieving the ferroelectric smectic phase. The ferroelectric smectic liquid crystal is in one of the two stable orientation states which is generated at the low temperature region when the liquid crystal in the other stable orientation state generated at the high temperature region cools. Where d is the thickness of the orientation controlling film and S is the average surface roughness of the base layer, d and S have the relation expressed by

Liquid crystal device having two bistable orientation states in the

A liquid crystal device includes: a pair of substrates disposed spaced apart from each other, a liquid crystal disposed between the substrates and a plurality of adhesive members bonding the substrates. The adhesive members are dispersed along the inner surfaces of the substrates at a rate of 100 members/mm.sup.2 or less with an average adhesion area per member of 1.25.times.10.sup.-3 mm.sup.2 or less so as to satisfy the relationship of:

Liquid crystal device

The present invention provides a liquid crystal material disposed between said pair of substrates, wherein at least one of said substrates is provided with a film comprising a polyimide compound having in its polyimide main-chain structural unit at least one alkyl side chain containing an alkyl chain moiety having a length of 2 to 10 carbon atoms.

A liquid crystal device, includes: (a) a first substrate and a second substrate, (b) an elongated first electrode disposed on the first substrate and an elongated second electrode disposed on the second substrate so as to intersect the first electrode and form a pixel at the intersection of the first and second electrodes, (c) a linear projection disposed along the length of at least one of the first and second electrodes, and (d) a chiral smectic liquid crystal disposed between the first and second substrates in a thickness small enough to suppress the formation of a helical structure inherent to the chiral smectic liquid crystal in its bulk state. The chiral smectic liquid crystal forms a domain in such an alignment state that the liquid crystal has an inclination of forming or actually forms a pair of a hairpin defect and a lightning defect, the hairpin defect being disposed closer to the linear projection than the lightning defect.

Growing community of inventors

Atsugi, Japan

Toshiharu Uchimi