<title>Alignment-controlled holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystal (HPDLC) for reflective display devices</title>

Abstract

A new type of holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystal (HPDLC) device in which liquid-crystal (LC) alignment is controlled by polymer layers has been developed. An LC containing light-curable prepolymer was placed between two substrates with anti-parallel alignment layers and cured using the interferential fringes of Ar⁺ laser light. Photo- polymerization occurred at the peaks of the interferential fringes and polymer networks were formed. LC layers formed at the nodes of the fringes. The LC molecules contained in the polymer layers were fixed so that they were aligned parallel to the substrates. Therefore, the polymer layers could be used to control the LC molecules in the LC layers and act as alignment layers. This alignment-controlled HPDLC device has a possibility to make effective use of the refractive index anisotropy of the LC. The fundamental operation of the alignment-controlled HPDLC device has been confirmed experimentally.