Submicrosecond bistable electro-optic switching in liquid crystals

Ferroelectric smectic C (FSC) liquid crystals are used in a simple new geometry that allows the spontaneous formation of either of two surface-stabilized smectic C monodomains of opposite ferroelectric polarization. These domains are separated by well-defined walls which may be manipulated with an applied electric field. The resulting electro-optic effects exhibit a unique combination of properties: microsecond dynamics, threshold behavior, symmetric bistability, and a large electro-optic response.