The invention relates to a light modulation element, preferably exploiting the flexoelectric effect comprising a cholesteric liquid crystalline medium sandwiched between two substrates (1), each provided with an electrode structure (2), wherein at least one of the substrates is provided with a photoresist pattern consisting of periodic substantially parallel stripes (3) which is additionally provided with an alignment layer (4). 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.

A liquid crystal panel according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a liquid crystal layer containing liquid crystal molecules; a first alignment film in contact with a front surface of the liquid crystal layer; and a second alignment film in contact with a rear surface of the liquid crystal layer, the liquid crystal panel being curved in the shape of a cylindrical surface. The first alignment film includes a plurality of first strip portions extending along a first direction and causing the liquid crystal molecules to be aligned. The second alignment film includes a plurality of second strip portions extending along a second direction and causing the liquid crystal molecules to be aligned. The first direction is a peripheral direction of the cylindrical surface. The second direction is a direction which crosses the peripheral direction.

The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device in a new display mode that is based on the horizontal alignment capable of giving a wide viewing angle and that can achieve high speed response. The liquid crystal display device includes: a first substrate that includes a pair of electrodes; a second substrate that includes a pixel electrode and a common electrode; and a liquid crystal layer that contains liquid crystal molecules aligned horizontally, at least one of the pair of electrodes including a first linear portion that extends in a first direction, at least one of the pixel electrode and the common electrode including a second linear portion that extends in a second direction intersecting the first direction, the liquid crystal molecules being aligned in a direction perpendicular or parallel to the first direction in a first display state in which voltage is applied between the pair of electrodes but voltage is not applied between the pixel electrode and the common electrode, the liquid crystal molecules being aligned in a direction different from the alignment direction of the first display state, in a second display state in which voltage is applied between the pair of electrodes and voltage is applied between the pixel electrode and the common electrode.

A silicon based terahertz full wave liquid crystal phase shifter is provided. The liquid crystal phase shifter has a first silicon conductive substrate, a second silicon conductive substrate, a plurality of pads, and a liquid crystal. The first and second silicon conductive substrates, instead of the quartz glass and transparent electrode, such as ITO, are used as substrates and to provide electrodes of the liquid crystal phase shifter. Thus, the effect of the liquid crystal phase modulation of the liquid crystal phase shifter in the THz range can be improved.

The invention relates to a light modulation element comprising a cholesteric liquid crystalline medium sandwiched between two substrates, each provided with an electrode structure, wherein at least one of the substrates is additionally provided with an alignment layer which is provided with a photoresist pattern consisting of periodic substantially parallel stripes. 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.

The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device that may realize a wide viewing angle and realize a high-speed response. The liquid crystal display device of the present invention is a liquid crystal display device that has upper and lower substrates and a liquid crystal layer which is interposed between the upper and lower substrates, in which the lower substrate includes electrodes, the electrodes are configured with a first electrode, a second electrode in a different layer from the first electrode, and a third electrode in a same layer as the second electrode, the liquid crystal layer includes liquid crystal molecules that are horizontally aligned with respect to a main surface of the upper and lower substrates in a case where a voltage is not applied, and the liquid crystal display device is configured to execute a driving operation that causes the electrodes to generate an electric field which causes a portion of the liquid crystal molecules to rotate in a horizontal plane with respect to the main surface and causes another portion of the liquid crystal molecules to rotate in an opposite direction to the portion of the liquid crystal molecules in the horizontal plane with respect to the main surface.

A liquid crystal device includes: an element substrate; a counter substrate disposed opposite to the element substrate; a sealing material disposed between the element substrate and the counter substrate; and a liquid crystal layer disposed on an inner side of the sealing material and containing liquid crystal. The element substrate includes an alignment film configured to align the liquid crystal and an ion-adsorbing first adsorption film disposed in contact with the sealing material. The alignment film includes a first vapor-deposited film and a second vapor-deposited film disposed between the first vapor-deposited film and the liquid crystal layer. The second vapor-deposited film and the first adsorption film include a column of which a long axis direction intersects a thickness direction of the liquid crystal layer. A thickness of the first adsorption film is thicker than a thickness of the second vapor-deposited film.

Provided is an optically anisotropic layer formed of a liquid crystal compound, which includes first and second layers in direct contact along a thickness direction, an alignment state of the liquid crystal compound in the first layer is different from the second layer, and the optically anisotropic layer satisfies a relationship of Expression (2A) Xmax/Xmin<1.10 where a region within a square having a largest size that can be drawn on a surface of the optically anisotropic layer is subdivided into 64 square-shaped sub-regions having the same area, a thickness d1 of the first layer and a thickness d2 of the second layer at a center position of the sub-region are obtained, X represented by Expression (1) X=d1/(d1+d2) for each sub-region is calculated, and among the calculated 64 X's, a maximum value is defined as Xmax and a minimum value is defined as Xmin.

A bistable liquid crystal film, comprising: a. at least one first transparent flexible film coated with conductive material; b. at least one layer of liquid crystal dispersions characterized by at least two modes (i) scattering mode-A; and (ii) transparent mode-B; allocated between said flexible transparent conductive film and at least one second transparent flexible conductive film; wherein said liquid crystal dispersion comprises metal-organic mesogens.

A display module and a method for driving the same, a display apparatus, and a vehicle are provided. The display module includes a backlight component, and a display component and a light-adjusting component that are located at a side of the backlight component facing toward a light-emitting direction of the display module. The backlight component includes a first light guide structure and a light regulating structure. The light-adjusting component includes first and second electrodes, and a first liquid crystal. The display module has a sharing mode and an anti-peeping mode. In the sharing mode, the first electrode and the second electrode are not energized, and the first liquid crystal is in a wide viewing angle state. In the anti-peeping mode, the first electrode and the second electrode drive the first liquid crystal to be in a narrow viewing angle state.