[54] DISPLAY METHOD AND APPARATUS USING CHIRAL SMECTIC LIQUID CRYSTAL
[75] Inventors: Kazuo Yoshinaga, Machida; Hidetoshi Suzuki, Atsugi; Katsumi Kurematsu, Kawasaki; Yomishi Toshida, Yokohama; Toshikazu Ohnishi, Machida; Hideaki Mitsutake, Tokyo; Nobuo Minoura, Yokohama; Koichi Sato, Sagamihara; Takeo Eguchi, Atsugi, all of Japan
[73] Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, Japan
[21] Appl. No.: 304,938
[22] Filed: Sep. 13,1994
Related U.S. Application Data
[62] Division of Ser. No. 789,655, Nov. 8, 1991, Pat. No. 5,372,745.
[30] Foreign Application Priority Data
Nov. 9, 1990 [JP] Japan 2-302516
Mar. 26, 1991 [JP] Japan 3-084543
Mar. 26, 1991 [JP] Japan 3-084545
[51] Int. CI.6 C09K 19/52; G02F 1/13
[52] U.S. CI 252/299.01; 359/104
[58] Field of Search 252/299.01; 359/103,
359/104
[56] References Cited
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
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4,886,718 12/1989 Eich et al 430/20
5,011,623 4/1991 Yoshinaga et al 252/299.5
5,066,107 11/1991 Yoshinaga et al 359/45
5,188,760 2/1993 Hikmet et al 252/299.01
5,258,134 11/1993 Yoshinaga et al 252/299.01
5,268,783 12/1993 Yoshinaga et al 359/103
5,372,745 12/1994 Yoshinaga et al 252/299.01
5,384,069 7/1995 Yoshinaga et al 252/299.01
FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
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0295106 12/1988 European Pat. Off. .
0451905 10/1991 European Pat. Off. .
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OTHER PUBLICATIONS
Macromolecular Chemistry and Physics 190, No. 12 (1989) 3200-3215.
Macromolecular Symposia No. 24 (1989) 283-301. Liquid Crystal Polymers, Polymer Bulletin No. 12 (1984) 299-301.
Primary Examiner—Shean C. Wu
Attorney, Agent, or Firm—Fitzpatrick, Cella, Harper & Scinto
[57] ABSTRACT
A liquid crystal device is constituted by disposing a display layer between a pair of electrode plates. The display layer comprises a mesomorphic polymer and a low-molecular weight mesomorphic compound. The mesomorphic polymer may preferably be a main chain-type ferroelectric mesomorphic polymer having an ester linkage or a mesomorphic polymer derived from a polymerizable mesomorphic compound. The display layer may preferably comprise a ferroelectric mesomorphic polymer having a dielectric anisotropy Ae of -3.0 or below and a low-molecular weight mesomorphic compound incompatible with the mesomorphic polymer and having a positive dielectric anisotropy.
24 Claims, 10 Drawing Sheets
