Two Kinds of Switching Processes in Surface Stabilized Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals

Two kinds of molecular reorientation processes in SSFLC cells were observed. One (a) is accompanied by the nucleation and growth of domains and the other (b) proceeds by uniform brightness change without any domain formation throughout a cell. In transmittance change, (a) and (b) are also explained by two-step and single-step switchings, respectively. The switching speed of the case (b) is one hundred times faster than that of the case (a) at a low electric field. The models for these switching processes are presented: an internal disclination model for case (a), and a cooperative director reorientation model for case (b).