Switching Process in Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals; Disclination Dynamics of the Surface Stabilized States

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Abstract
The switching process of a surface stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal cell is considered on the basis of disclination dynamics for various cell thicknesses. In this report we first summarize the surface stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal states and their boundaries, and then examine the switching characteristics using stroboscopic micrographs. New experimental findings are (1) the boundary between two uniform states consists of two surface disclinations and one internal disclination, and (2) the domain nucleation, including the internal disclination loop, is responsible for the slow optical response. Finally, we point out several inconsistencies with our simple model regarding molecular orientations and suggest the existence of a selective pre-tilt at both surfaces, which should be controlled from an application point of view.

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