10.1: Invited Paper : Future Antiferroelectric Liquid Crystal Displays

Abstract In spite of some very interesting prototypes of large‐size high‐resolution color displays, no manufacturing of antiferroelectric liquid crystal (AFLC) displays has ever started. The reason can be found in the inadequacy of the dark state. This has prompted us to investigate the optical properties of AFLCs in general. The result is not only that future AFLC displays should use materials with a tilt angle of 45 degrees, but that there is a variety of highly promising AFLC modes both for transmissive and reflective displays and both with passive and active (TFT or silicon backplane) driving. The reason for the failure of the present AFLC displays will be explained and some of the most promising alternatives discussed.