This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is in the general area of materials chemistry and in the subfield of liquid crystals. The thrust of this experimental activity is the synthesis of new ferroelectric (chiral) smectic C* liquid crystals (FLCs) which will markedly enhance the performance of electrooptic and display devices based on the surface stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal (SSFLC) light valve. FLCs have been shown to exhibit high speed, multistate electro-optic and display device applications, particularly when incorporated into the SSFLC light valve. The two state (digital) nature of the SSFLC device possesses certain advantages in applications such as passive multiplexed flat panel displays but does not allow for a natural gray-scale effect due to the lack of intermediate optical states. Another effect observed in chiral smectic liquid crystals, the electroclinic effect, is based on the smectic A* phase and affords a linear analog response to applied voltage. Currently available materials are limited by their sensitivity to temperature variation, and thus, need for temperature control. This project pursues a method to achieve temperature insensitivity, thereby greatly expanding the breadth of usefulness of this effect. The new materials will be both pure chiral smectic A components and mixtures of materials containing the new components with broad temperature ranges and fast electro-optic response times. Temperature insensitive electroclinic devices will fill the gap requiring a relatively temperature insensitive, fast (10 microseconds) linear electrooptical effect. %%% In this SBIR Phase I project, Displaytech should demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach to improving the performance of electro-optic and display devices based on SSFLC technology that was developed earlier by this small business. The results of this research should provide clear guidance regarding Displaytech's proceeding with a Phase II activity.
