Abstract

Over the past half century, liquid crystal displays (LCDs) have grown to be one of the most successful optoelectronic technologies, becoming an integral part of communication devices and often an enabling technology. This success has required many adaptions to meet the requirements of ever-increasing complexity and performance. Indeed, it is the adaptability of liquid crystal devices that grounds their success. After outlining the basic physics of liquid crystals and device construction, the various modes used in commercial displays will be reviewed, both for mainstream and niche markets, together with a summary of the important complimentary technologies. Finally, liquid crystal devices that have promise for future applications in optoelectronics will be discussed.