4. Liquid crystal display techniques

The 1960s saw the first applications of liquid crystals to displays. Richard Williams of RCA Corporation proposed a display using the periodic defects that appear in a nematic liquid crystal layer when a strong electric field is applied . This DSM (Dynamic Scattering Mode) effect is based on so-called electro-hydrodynamic instabilities. For the application of electric fields, the liquid crystal is confined in a thin layer between two glass plates with transparent electrodes deposited on the inside. Since defects are discontinuities in the nematic phase, they scatter light, giving the activated zone a diffused (opaque) appearance. However, this effect requires excessively high...