Robust measurement of flexoelectro-optic switching with different surface alignments

The alignment of chiral nematic liquid crystals in the so-called uniform lying helix geometry allows for the observation and exploitation of the flexoelectro-optic effect. However, high-quality uniform lying helix alignment is difficult to achieve reliably, and this can potentially impact the accuracy of the measurements made on the flexoelectro-optic switching behaviour. Here, we show that, using an appropriate method, it is possible to make measurements of the flexo-electric coefficients that are not substantially influenced by the alignment quality.