Anomalous Layer Alignment and Its Control in Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal with N^*-SmC^* Phase Sequence

Abstract

Anomalous layer alignment has been observed in the ferroelectric liquid crystal having a direct phase transition from chiral nematic to smectic C. With decreasing temperature from nematic to smectic C phases, two kinds of domains grow along the rubbing direction, in which smectic layers align in the different directions. We can successfully control the alignment of the smectic layers by means of the application of the electric field at the phase transition and realize a fine grating.