A switchable window includes an electro-optical layer of or including an anisotropic gel of polymer stabilized highly chiral liquid crystal, for example, blue phase liquid crystal, encapsulated in, for example, a mesogenic polymer inclusive shell, that forms a self-assembled, three-dimensional photonic crystal that remains electro-optically switchable under a moderate applied voltage (e.g., electric field). The liquid crystal (LC) arrangement may be achieved via a polymer assembled blue phase liquid crystal system having a substantially continuous polymer structure case surrounding well-defined discrete bodies of liquid crystal material arranged in a cellular manner These assembled structures globally connect to form a matrix. This provides for reduction of angular birefringence of highly chiral LC systems, which advantageously reduces haze in applications such as switchable windows.

According to one embodiment, a display device comprises substrates, a liquid crystal layer containing stringy polymers, a display area with first and second pixels and a light source. In a spatial frequency spectrum obtained by performing FT on a pattern of the polymers which overlap the pixels with respect to first and second frequency components, when an outline in a plane defined by the components in an area having a value of 75% or more of the maximum value is defined as an evaluation circle, and a value obtained by dividing a length of a major axis of the circle by that of a minor axis is defined as an evaluation value, the evaluation value of the first pixel is greater than that of the second pixel.

A configurable occluder/dimmer for a near-eye display includes an array of polarization rotators and a polarization-selective scatterer downstream of the array of polarization rotators. The array of rotators and the polarization-selective scatterer are disposed between a pair of polarizers. The polarization-selective scatterer only scatters light at one of two orthogonal polarizations, thereby enhancing the achieved extinction ratio of the configurable occluder/dimmer. The configurable occluder/dimmer may be used in the near-eye display to provide occlusion effects rendering added virtual objects opaque, and/or to equalize contrast of the generated virtual imagery across the field of view of the display.

A rewritable and freezable lens and method for manufacturing thereof are disclosed. This lens includes at least one active element that has optical properties that can be written, frozen and rewritten into new values at least twice. Rewritable and freezable lenses comprising active index polymer dispersed liquid crystal materials are disclosed. In-situ re-adaptation of spectacle and contact lenses is possible at the point of sale. In-vivo re-adaptation of intraocular lenses in the doctor's room is feasible, avoiding further surgery.

The present disclosure relates to a display device in which the same driving voltage is applied to pixels and a manufacturing method thereof. One aspect of a display device comprises a first substrate; a second substrate; and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate and comprising a plurality of sub-cells, wherein the plurality of sub-cells respectively comprises a cholesteric liquid crystal and a polymer cured to fix a helical pitch of the cholesteric liquid crystal.

The invention provides a manufacturing method for VA type LCD panel. The manufacturing method of the present invention adds a photo-initiator and a polymeric monomer to LC material, and uses UV light to irradiate through a mask so that the polymeric monomer polymerizes in accordance with the mask pattern to form polymer protrusions on the array substrate side to achieve the effect similar to protrusion or slit. The method is applicable for the LC molecules to form the pre-tilt angle so that the LC molecules in the panel are lined up along the normal direction. The method is simple, eliminates ITO etching process on the array substrate side, and reduces costs.

A liquid crystal display device, including: a display substrate including a first base substrate, a switching device disposed on the first base substrate, a color filter layer disposed on the switching device, and a first electrode disposed on the color filter layer; a counter display substrate including a second base substrate and a second electrode disposed on the second base substrate and facing the first electrode, wherein the counter display substrate is disposed separately from and facing the display substrate; a liquid crystal layer disposed between the display substrate and the counter display substrate, wherein the liquid crystal layer includes at least one first liquid crystal compound represented by Formula 1 and at least one second liquid crystal compound represented by Formula 2; and a light-shielding spacer disposed between the display substrate and the counter display substrate and maintaining a thickness of the liquid crystal layer:

##STR00001##

wherein in Formula 1 and Formula 2, each of R.sub.11—*,

##STR00002##

R.sub.12—*, L.sub.11-*, L.sub.12-*, L.sub.13-*, L.sub.14-*, R.sub.21—*, *-L.sub.21-*, m, n, i, j, o is same as defined in the specification.

A liquid crystal display including a first substrate, a second substrate overlapping with the first substrate, and a liquid crystal layer provided between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the liquid crystal layer includes a liquid crystal compound represented by Formula 1 and a liquid crystal stabilizing agent:

##STR00001##

wherein A, B, n1, n2, R, R′, Z.sub.1, and Z.sub.2 are the same as described in the specification.

A manufacturing method of a liquid crystal panel is provided with steps of: providing an array substrate having a first electrode with a plurality of slots and a second electrode thereon, and a color filter substrate; applying a first photo alignment film to the array substrate, and performing a first irradiation treatment on the first photo alignment film to have a first pretilt angle; applying a second photo alignment film to the color filter substrate, and performing a second irradiation treatment on the second photo alignment film to have a second pretilt angle antiparallel to the first pretilt angle; sealing a liquid crystal molecule and a photopolymerizable monomer within a space between the first photo alignment film and the second photo alignment film to form a liquid crystal panel; and performing a third irradiation treatment on the liquid crystal panel to carry out a polymerization of the photopolymerizable monomer.

A display comprises a polarised output spatial light modulator, switchable liquid crystal retarder, absorbing polarizer and touch panel electrodes. The switchable liquid crystal layer is stabilised by a cured reactive mesogen material during application of an applied voltage. Light scatter in privacy mode is reduced and visual security level enhanced. Visibility of disclinations during application of applied pressure, for example from a finger on a touch screen is minimised.