Patent ID: 8400593

Claim:
An electro-optical device comprising: a body of fluid; a lower conductor layer disposed below said body of fluid; and a dielectric layer disposed between said body of fluid and said lower conductor layer, connected to said lower conductor layer, and supporting said body of fluid, said dielectric layer including a matrix of a dielectric material and a liquid crystal material disposed in said matrix and including liquid crystal molecules, said dielectric layer having a segment disposed adjacent to said body of fluid; wherein when said segment of said dielectric layer is exposed to an electric field, said body of fluid undergoes electrowetting or dielectrophoresis mechanism and the orientation of said liquid crystal molecules that are disposed in said segment of said dielectric layer is changed, wherein said body of fluid is conductive and is in the form of a liquid droplet, said lower conductor layer including a plurality of electrodes, said dielectric layer including a plurality of said segments overlapping said electrodes of said lower conductor layer, respectively, when one of said segments of said dielectric layer is exposed to the electric field and when said body of fluid is disposed above and covers an adjacent one of said segments of said dielectric layer, that is adjacent to said one of said segments of said dielectric layer, and a portion of said one of said segments of said dielectric layer, said body of fluid undergoing electrowetting mechanism so as to be moved from said adjacent one of said segments to said one of said segments to cover entirely said one of said segments of said dielectric layer.