Critical Field for a Hysteresis-Free BPLC Device

Abstract

A correlation between the peak electric field and hysteresis of a polymer-stabilized blue-phase liquid crystal (BPLC) is found experimentally. If the peak electric field is below ~ 5 V/μm, hysteresis is negligible. Based on this guideline, we propose elliptical protrusion electrodes to reduce peak electric field which in turn eliminates hysteresis while keeping a high transmittance. Such a hysteresis-free BPLC device is highly desirable for display and photonic applications.