Abstract
We propose and evaluate a new LCD mode using antiferroelectric liquid crystals (AFLCs). This LCD mode utilizes dielectric response of antiferroelectric order; homeotropically aligned AFLCs with short helix have uniaxial property (Dark state) without a field, and the optical birefringence (Bright state) appears under the unwound process by applying an electric field parallel to the smectic layer. By measuring the optical birefringence as a function of the field, we confirmed this LCD mode as expected. It is also found that this LCD mode has fast response of the order of 10~100 us and exhibits continuous gray level .
