Erasable patterning in ferroelectric liquid crystal with N*-SmC* phase sequence by optical heating

have proposed the optical patterning in a ferroelectric liquid crystal with the N* - SmC* phase sequence and successfully demonstrated it. In a homoge neously aligned cell with a rubbing treatment, two smectic layer structures can be selected by applying an electric field during the phase transition from N* to SmC*, The pattern was recorded through the phase transition unde r applying a de electric field. The partial phase transition was induced by the illumination of a laser. The influence of illumination time, i.e., the thermal conduction in a patterning process also has been investigated. Thi s optical patterning have a erase, addition, subtraction and inversion func tion of binary images.