Memory type polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) can be applied to a thermal addressing display device cell. Making use of its easy fabrication of large area display using flexible film substrate, the PDLC film can be used as reusable paper for direct-view mode display. In this study, memory type PDLC cells are prepared with an aluminum reflector deposited onto one side of the substrate and the reflection property in the PDLC cell with the reflector is clarified and compared to that without the reflector in the off-, on- and memory-states. The increase of contrast ratio and the decrease of driving voltage can be concurrently realized by decreasing the cell thickness by attaching the reflector. In addition, the reflected light in the off-state is bright and colorless due to the reflector, as compared with the weak, bluish reflected light in the cell without the reflector. Reflected light in the on-state and the memory-state are tinged with blue.

This paper describes a newly developed 22 liquid crystal optical switch for 1.3µm single-mode fiber use. This switch state can be freely set at either the cross or the bar state. The measured performance of two prototype 22 liquid crystal optical switches is given. Tests confirm that the 3 values are a maximum insertion loss of 1.5dB, a crosstalk attenuation of more than 26.1dB, and a return loss of more than 28.9dB. Requirements for optical switches for fault isolation are theoretically clarified from a LAN system view point.

Recent developments and case studies regarding VLSI device chip failure analysis are reviewed. The key failure analysis techniques reviewed include EMMS (emission microscopy), OBIC (optical beam induced current), LCM (liquid crystal method), EBP (electron beam probing), and FIB (focused ion beam method). Further, future possibilities in failure analysis, and some promising new tools are introduced.

The intensity-dependent transmission characteristics of an Ag+Na+ ion-exchanged glass waveguide with a nematic liquid crystal MBBA cover have been investigated experimentally using an Ar+ laser. It is found that the transmission characteristics of the TE1 mode are strongly influenced by temperature. Optical bistability has been observed at a particular temperature. Such the strong temperature dependence is believed to be brought by an increase in ordinary refractive index of the MBBA cover due to temperature rise.

The newly developed GaAs-pin/SLM, that is structured with a GaAs-pin diode photodetector and a ferroelectric liquid crystal as the light phase modulator, shows the accumulative thresholding characteristic against the optical energy of the write-in pulse train. We experimentally investigate this characteristic and discuss its applications to optical parallel processings.

Transmittance distribution along a horizontal line in LCDs addressed by amorphous silicon TFTs was investigated using measurements and calculations. Nonuniformity of the distribution, in which the transmittance increased with increasing distance from the left edge of the LCD, was observed in a 10 inch diagonal TFT-LCD. The cause of the nonuniformity was attributed to the decrease in voltage drop due to the gate source parasitic capacitance and the increase in gate voltage fall time due to large line resistance, based on the measurements of voltage drops in TFT test elements and calculations considering the decrease in voltage drop. The distribution could be improved by reducing the line resistance and parasitic capacitance in the actual LCD.