Thresholdless, hysteresis-free, V-shaped switching exhibits attractive characteristics for active matrix display devices. Since the V-shaped switching behavior depends on the surface condition, it is important to clarify the molecular orientation in the vicinity of the surface. We have investigated molecular orientation near the alignment layer using an attenuated total internal reflection (ATIR) techrdque. It was found that molecules near the surface switch to a ferroelectric state at the same electric field as molecules in a bulk do. We will also discuss about the molecular orientation in the intermediate state.
