Patent ID: 8629957

Claim:
A method for a reflective liquid crystal display, said method comprising the steps of: providing a first substrate that is substantially transparent; providing a second substrate that is substantially reflective and substantially parallel with said first substrate; and providing a liquid crystal fluid having a birefringence (Δn) and a negative dielectric anisotropy between said first and second substrates; providing a first liquid crystal alignment layer on said first substrate, said first liquid crystal alignment layer being proximate to said liquid crystal fluid, wherein molecules of said liquid crystal fluid that are proximate to the first liquid crystal alignment layer have a first pretilt angle from about 2 degrees to about 15 degrees and a first azimuthal direction; providing a second liquid crystal alignment layer on said second substrate, said second liquid crystal alignment layer being proximate to said liquid crystal fluid, wherein molecules of said liquid crystal fluid that are proximate to the second liquid crystal alignment layer have a second pretilt angle from about 2 degrees to about 15 degrees and a second azimuthal direction, the second azimuthal direction being substantially perpendicular to the first azimuthal direction; such that when substantially no electric field is applied between said first and second substrates, said liquid crystal fluid does not change the polarization state of light passing therethrough and the polarization directions of the linearly polarized incident light and the linearly polarized reflected light at said first substrate are substantially parallel, when applying an electric field of an optimum value between said first and second substrates, said liquid crystal fluid changes linear polarized incident light at said first substrate to approximately circularly polarized incident light when at said second substrate, wherein said second substrate reflects back the approximately circularly polarized incident light as approximately circularly polarized light of opposite handedness, wherein said liquid crystal fluid changes the approximately circularly polarized reflected light to approximately linear polarized reflected light when at said first substrate such that the polarization directions of the linearly polarized incident light and the linearly polarized reflected light at said first substrate are approximately perpendicular, and when applying an electric field less than the optimum value between said first and second substrates, said liquid crystal fluid changes the polarization state of the incident linearly polarized light to elliptically polarized light upon passing through said liquid crystal fluid and being reflected back from said second substrate.