The molecular physics of liquid‐crystal devices

MAY 01, 1982

An improved understanding of the microscopic properties of this fourth state of matter provides the framework for both present and future applications.

DOI: 10.1063/1.2915096

Frederic J. Kahn

Liquid‐crystal displays are now ubiquitous in homes, stores, businesses and laboratories—on pocket calculators, wrist watches, clocks and so forth; only 14 years after RCA’s initial disclosure of potentially useful liquid‐crystal displays, these devices provide the basis for the second largest display industry, second only in dollar volume to cathode‐ray tubes. This remarkable growth has been based on the development of a sophisticated understanding of the molecular properties of liquid crystals.

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More about the Authors

Frederic J. Kahn. Hewlett‐Packard Laboratories, Palo Alto, California.