Smectic Layer Structure of Thin Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Cells Aligned by SiO Oblique Evaporation Technique

Abstract

Smectic layer structures were studied by high-resolution X-ray analysis for two kinds of cells aligned on SiO obliquely evaporated film; the glass plates were fabricated for the evaporation direction to be the same (parallel) or to be the opposite (antiparallel). For parallel cells, a chevron layer structure was formed. The temperature dependence was similar to that of a rubbing cell, although the chevron structure with a small layer tilt existed even in the SmA phase. For antiparallel cells, on the other hand, the smectic layer was uniformly tilted and the layer tilt angle showed weaker temperature dependence than that of the parallel cells.