Study on a lateral-electrical-field pixel architecture for FLC spatial light modulator with continuously tunable grayscales

A novel type of ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) pixel structure, in which a lateral electrical field is applied between slit-type electrodes, is proposed for ferroelectric spatial light modulator (SLM) in this brief. The novel FLC pixel architecture driven by a DRAM circuit is investigated with varied external fields, and its electrooptical property is shown as U-type curves, which implies the optical output is tunable by the applied lateral field. A numerical analysis, based on the continuum theory, corresponds well with the experiments and shows that unlike the in-plane switching process in nematic liquid crystals, the FLC molecules are rotated along their cone surface by external fields with a result of a continuously varied optical output, which promises this new pixel architecture for a ferroelectrical display with continuously tunable grayscales.