Defect-Free Surface-Stabilized Ferroelectric Liquid Crystals Fabricated by Lowering Smectic-A to -C* Phase Transition Temperature in the Surface Regions

Zigzag defects in surface-stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystals (SSFLCs) originate from the structural transformation from C1 to C2 chevrons during the cooling process. This transformation occurs so as to accommodate the increasing tilt angle of the FLC under the constraint of the surface anchoring. Based on this scenario of zigzag defect formation, we propose a new scheme to obtain defect-free SSFLCs in which the C1-C2 transformation is suppressed by the use of an interfacial layer that has a gradually decreasing SmA-SmC* transition temperature toward the substrate.