Patent ID: 7557897

Claim:
A liquid crystal display comprising: a first substrate having a first electrode and a first alignment film; a second substrate having a second electrode and a second alignment film; a liquid crystal layer having liquid crystal molecules between the first and second substrates, the liquid crystal layer being doped with a chiral material that tends to induce a twist in directors of the liquid crystal molecules when an electric field is applied to the liquid crystal layer using the first and second electrodes, wherein the first alignment film has a first alignment direction, the second alignment film has a second alignment direction, the first and second alignment films having orientations that tend to induce a twist in the directors when an electric field is applied to the liquid crystal layer, the direction of twist induced by the first and second alignment films being different from the direction of twist induced by the chiral material; and a reflective layer to reflect external light that passes a first portion of the liquid crystal layer, the external light being modulated by the first portion of the liquid crystal layer.