Vertical Alignment (VA)

What is Vertical Alignment (VA)?

Vertical alignment (VA) liquid crystal mixtures belong to the liquid crystal mixture mainstream technology at present, and it is used in the most modern high-end LCD products. Compared to traditional Twisted Nematic (TN) technology, VA technology aligns the liquid crystal molecules perpendicular to the glass substrate when no voltage is applied, and then tilts the molecules to a horizontal state when voltage is applied, thus efficiently controlling the transmission and blockage of light, and realizing deep blacks, excellent contrast, and a wide viewing angle.

Fig. 1 Schematic diagram of vertical alignment mode of liquid crystal. The red double-headed arrow indicates the analyzer, and the black arrow indicates the polarizer^[1].

The working mechanism of VA display is as follows:

• Off state (no voltage)

LCD molecules are strictly vertically arranged, so as to better block the backlight source and form a state close to the ideal black field in the cross-polarizers. This characteristic endows the VA monitor with a good dark field and a high static contrast ratio.

• On (with voltage)

The liquid crystal molecules are vertically deflected to the horizontal under the action of voltage, so that light can smoothly pass through the polarizer, and the selected pixel area on the panel can be illuminated, forming a clear bright picture.

• Normal black mode

VA panels have a black background when the voltage is off. This can greatly improve the light leakage problem and is particularly suitable for the high contrast and the application of the need for high-quality black scene scenarios.

Our VA Liquid Crystal Products

Alfa Chemistry provides various VA-based liquid crystal mixtures with different optical anisotropy, viscosity, dielectric constant and operating temperature range to satisfy various applications from consumer electronics to specialty industrial displays.

Each product has been carefully screened in raw material selection, formulation optimization and quality control for batch stability and excellent optoelectronic performance.

Technical Advantages and Features of VA Products

• Superior Blackfield Performance: Vertical orientation of molecules effectively suppresses light leakage and delivers deep, pure blacks.
• High Static Contrast Ratio: Typical contrast ratios of 3000:1 and higher meet the demands of HD and professional displays.
• Wide Viewing Angle and Color Consistency: Improved Multi-domain VA (MVA) and Ultra Wide Viewing Angle technology maintain color consistency across different angles.
• Fast Response and Long-Term Stability: Optimized formulations reduce ghosting and increase reliability for dynamic images.
• Wide Temperature Range: Wide temperature formulations can be designed according to customer needs for automotive and industrial environments.

Fig. 2 The structure and operating principle of a VA LCD. (a) Under static conditions (V off). (b) Under operating voltage conditions (V on)r^[2].

Typical Application Areas

• High-resolution and large-size LCD TVs
• Professional-grade computer monitors and graphic workstations
• In-vehicle, aerospace and naval display terminals
• Medical imaging, industrial control, instrumentation displays
• High-end consumer electronics and wearable display modules

Why Choose Us?

Get technical information, samples or customized solutions for VA liquid crystal mixtures to achieve excellent picture quality and stable and reliable performance for your display products. If you don't find what you need, please feel free to contact us. We can also provide product customization services according to customers' detailed requirements.

References

1. Zhang Z., et al. Fundamentals of phase-only liquid crystal on silicon (LCOS) devices. Light: Science & Applications, 2014, 3, e213.
2. Kobayashi S, et al. Development of liquid crystal displays and related improvements to their performances. Proceedings of the Japan Academy Ser B Physical and Biological Sciences, 2022, 98(9), 493-516.