Thermal imprint of wide-angle viewing bi-stable cholesteric liquid crystal displays

A thermal-imprint addressable and electrically erasable bi-stable cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) display with a wide viewing angle is demonstrated. The proposed device with a multi-domain planar state is realized by filling a negative CLC in a vertical-alignment cell. The thermal-imprint method is introduced to restore the CLC from a reflective state (multi-domain planar state) to a translucent state (focal-conic state) to display images, and an electric field is used to erase the device back to totally reflective mode. This CLC display is bi-stable and does not require a complex driving circuit. Together with the features of a large viewing angle and less color shift, this device shows great potential for update-on-demand applications.