Influence of ion transport on liquid crystal switching

The coupled interaction between the reorientation of a liquid crystal and the migration of ionic impurities in the presence of an applied electric field is investigated for two device types commonly used in displays, the planar and the in-plane switching (IPS) cell. Simulated optical measurements and transient currents are compared to experimental results in order to discover means to alleviate the problems associated with ion migration. IPS cells have a lower electrode surface area than planar cells, and are therefore more sensitive to the movement of a given ion concentration. As a means to reduce this sensitivity, the effect of altering the electrode width and gap is studied.