Hydrodynamics of fringing-field induced defects in nematic liquid crystals

Consumer demand for high resolution and high refresh-rate displays has naturally led to the fabrication of liquid crystal displays with ever smaller pixels. As a consequence, fringing fields between adjacent pixels grow in magnitude, leading to abrupt changes in orientation. Electric field strengths above some threshold can lead to order melting and, in turn, disclinations. This paper presents accurate modeling of disclinations induced by fringing fields due to interdigitated electrodes in a nematic liquid crystal calculated by means of the Landau–de Gennes theory. Disclination paths are determined while taking into account the flow of the liquid crystal. Making use of interdigitated electrodes, precise electrical control over the creation and positioning of defects is demonstrated for homeotropic, planar, hybrid, and in-plane surface alignments.