Optically Rewritable Liquid Crystal Displays: Characteristics and Performance

Abstract

Recent achievements in the photoalignment technique for fabrication of optically rewritable electronic paper with high performance characteristics are surveyed with emphasis on temporal constraints on the exposure process. The possibility of creating electrode-free electronic paper has very important practical aspects. However, many existing studies do not include sufficient analysis on how to achieve acceptable reflective characteristics within short exposure time. In order to achieve this goal, we have applied the rotational diffusion model. We find that the parameters of the diffusion model can be adjusted to get acceptable light-reflecting characteristics within 10 s of exposure. In comparison with the long-time exposure, the reflectance coefficient reduces by 24%. The route to material improvements for optimized e-paper device is discussed.

Keywords

• photoalignment
• electronic paper
• nematic liquid crystals
• optical recording
• anchoring energy