The invention relates to a light modulation element comprising a cholesteric liquid crystalline medium sandwiched between two substrates (1), provided with a common electrode structure (2) and a driving electrode structure (3) individually, wherein the substrate with driving and/or common electrode structure is additionally provided with an alignment electrode structure (4) which is separated from the driving and or common electrode structure on the same substrate by a dielectric layer (5), characterized in that it comprises at least one alignment layer (6) directly adjacent to the liquid crystalline medium. The invention is further related to a method of production of said light modulation element and to the use of said light modulation element in various types of optical and electro-optical devices, such as electro-optical displays, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), non-linear optic (NLO) devices, and optical information storage devices.

This invention discloses methods and apparatus for providing an ophthalmic lens of variable optical power. The variable optic insert may have surfaces within that have differing radii of curvature. The variable optic insert may also comprise polarizing elements. In some examples, an intermediate optic piece may be formed to comprise a UV absorbing dye, allowing differential processing of regions on either side of the intermediate optic piece. In some embodiments, an ophthalmic lens is cast-molded from a silicone hydrogel. The various ophthalmic lens entities may include electroactive liquid crystal layers to electrically control refractive characteristics.

To improve the reliability of a liquid crystal display device, a liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate a second substrate opposing the first substrate, a liquid crystal layer arranged between the first and second substrates, and a sealing section arranged around the liquid crystal layer. The sealing section includes a member arranged around the liquid crystal layer and extending along an outer edge of the liquid crystal layer in a plan view and a sealing material arranged on both adjacent sides of the member and continuously surrounding a periphery of the liquid crystal layer in a plan view. Further, the first substrate has an oriented film formed on a back surface and a part of the sealing material overlaps a peripheral edge of the oriented film in a thickness direction on a side of the liquid crystal layer of the member.

To improve the reliability of a liquid crystal display device, a liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate a second substrate opposing the first substrate, a liquid crystal layer arranged between the first and second substrates, and a sealing section arranged around the liquid crystal layer. The sealing section includes a member arranged around the liquid crystal layer and extending along an outer edge of the liquid crystal layer in a plan view and a sealing material arranged on both adjacent sides of the member and continuously surrounding a periphery of the liquid crystal layer in a plan view. Further, the first substrate has an oriented film formed on a back surface and a part of the sealing material overlaps a peripheral edge of the oriented film in a thickness direction on a side of the liquid crystal layer of the member.

A curved display device including a first substrate, a thin film transistor (TFT) disposed on the first substrate, a pixel electrode connected to the TFT, a second substrate overlapping the first substrate, a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first and the second substrates, and a common electrode disposed between the second substrate and the liquid crystal layer, in which the pixel electrode includes a cross-shaped stem portion having a horizontal stem portion, a vertical stem portion, and a plurality of fine branches extending from the cross-shaped stem portion, at least one of the fine branches includes a first portion and a second portion having a width greater than that of the first portion, and an extending line from a boundary between the first portion and the second portion is sloped at an angle in a range of −10 degrees to +10 degrees with respect to the vertical stem portion.

The present invention is to provide an appropriate configuration of a VUV polarizer that can be used for such a process as photo-alignment. The VUV polarizer can polarize VUV light not more than 200 nm in wavelength, and has a substrate transparent to the VUV light and a grid on the substrate. The grid is formed of a lot of linear parts in parallel and structured with no filler between the linear parts. A material of each linear part is an oxide of a Group 3 element or Group 4 element, and makes PE not less than 0.2 under an optical constant combination making PE maximum in the VUV range, where PE=T.sup.2×log.sub.10(ER), T is the transmittance of the grid, and ER is the extinction ratio of the grid. A workpiece is subjected to a photo-alignment processing by irradiation of VUV polarized light emitting from the VUV polarizer.

A liquid crystal display includes a first insulation substrate, a gate line, a data line configured to cross the gate line while being insulated therefrom, a thin film transistor connected to the gate line and the data line, a pixel electrode configured to include a first subpixel electrode connected to the thin film transistor and a second subpixel electrode, a second insulation substrate configured to face the first insulation substrate, a common electrode disposed on the second insulation substrate, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first insulation substrate and the second insulation substrate to include a plurality of liquid crystal molecules, where each of the first subpixel electrode and the second subpixel electrode includes a unit pixel electrode including a plurality of minute branches that is extended from a horizontal stem and a vertical stem.

A multilayer film includes a single-crystal silicon layer, a first layer containing Zr, a second layer containing ZrO.sub.2, and a third layer containing a perovskite oxide having an electrooptic effect. The first layer, the second layer, and the third layer are provided in this order above the single-crystal silicon layer, and the multilayer film is transparent to a wavelength to be used.

A liquid crystal composition includes at least one of liquid crystal molecules represented by Chemical Formulas A and B:

##STR00001##

where in Chemical Formulas A and B, L.sub.1 to L.sub.4 are each independently —H, —F, —Cl, —OCF.sub.3, —CF.sub.3, —CH.sub.2F, or —CHF.sub.2, R.sub.1 to R.sub.4 are each independently hydrogen, a halogen, a cyano group, a C1-C12 alkyl group, or a C1-C12 alkoxy group, and Z.sub.1 to Z.sub.4 are each independently a single bond, —O—, —COO—, —OCO—, —CF.sub.2O—, —OCF.sub.2—, —CH.sub.2O—, —OCH.sub.2—, —SCH.sub.2—, —CH.sub.2S—, —CH.sub.2CH.sub.2—, —C.sub.2F.sub.4—, —CH.sub.2CF.sub.2—, —CF.sub.2CH.sub.2—, —CH.sub.2n—, where n is a natural number of 1 to 12, —CH═CH—, —CF═CF—, —CH═CF—, —CF═CH—, —C═C—, or —CH═CHCH.sub.2O.

A liquid crystal composition includes at least one of liquid crystal molecules represented by Chemical Formulas A and B:

##STR00001##

where in Chemical Formulas A and B, L.sub.1 to L.sub.4 are each independently —H, —F, —Cl, —OCF.sub.3, —CF.sub.3, —CH.sub.2F, or —CHF.sub.2, R.sub.1 to R.sub.4 are each independently hydrogen, a halogen, a cyano group, a C1-C12 alkyl group, or a C1-C12 alkoxy group, and Z.sub.1 to Z.sub.4 are each independently a single bond, —O—, —COO—, —OCO—, —CF.sub.2O—, —OCF.sub.2—, —CH.sub.2O—, —OCH.sub.2—, —SCH.sub.2—, —CH.sub.2S—, —CH.sub.2CH.sub.2—, —C.sub.2F.sub.4—, —CH.sub.2CF.sub.2—, —CF.sub.2CH.sub.2—, —CH.sub.2n—, where n is a natural number of 1 to 12, —CH═CH—, —CF═CF—, —CH═CF—, —CF═CH—, —C═C—, or —CH═CHCH.sub.2O.