Study on alignment technique of ferroelectric liquid crystals for display application

The rubbing conditions are researched in terms of the rubbing cloth materials for ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) display application. Although cotton is generally used as the rubbing cloth, a good FLC molecular alignment can be obtained even in (semi) synthetic fiber clothes such as acetate, cellulose, and polyester. In order to obtain the good alignment without rubbing scratches, it is important to use a soft cloth. On the other hand, for a hard cloth, there is a possibility to obtain the good alignment by increasing the rubbing number and thus, polishing the alignment film surface.