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Abstract

A liquid crystal cell (100) includes a chiral additive in the liquid crystal material (106) to operate the cell as a rapid starting, high-speed variable optical retarder. The cell is fabricated so that the surface noncontacting directors (116 and 118) of the opposed surfaces of the director alignment layers (112 and 112') of the electrode structures (102 and 104) are tilt-biased in opposite directions. This surface contacting director configuration induces rapid surface noncontacting director (120a, 120b, 120c, 120d, 120e) relaxation without optical bounce when the cell is switched from the field aligned ('ON') state to the partly relaxed ('OFF') state. The chiral additive prevents an inactive cell from relaxing to the splayed topological state, thereby enabling switching operation without a warm-up delay and preventing the surface of the cell from having a mottled appearance when it remains unused.

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First Claim