Identifying defects in bistable smectic-A liquid crystal displays after extended period of functional testing

Nowadays Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) is an integral part of humans' everyday life. They are used in everything starting from cell phones and televisions to washing machines. Liquid Crystals (LC) have far wider applications, one of them - smart or switchable glass, glass with voltage dependent optical properties which can be altered if specific electrical signals are applied to the glass. Bistable smectic-A (SmA) LCD is one of the most promising devices for smart glass applications due to long term bistability, low haze at clear state, low transmittance at scatter state and low power consumption. Every product that has been developed needs to be tested to verify and validate the design and development processes. To make sure the product is safe for customer, complies with necessary product, product group and manufacturing standards, performs the function it is required to perform. In this paper bistable smectic-A liquid crystal display extended functional testing methodology is presented. As well as the most common defects that appeared during and after the testing are reviewed and analyzed.