Process and materials for inducing pre-tilt in liquid crystals and liquid crystal displays
First Claim
1. A process for inducing pre-tilt in alignment of a liquid crystal medium adjacent to a surface of an optical alignment layer comprising;
- (a) exposing at least one optical alignment layer, comprising anisotropically absorbing molecules and hydrophobic moieties, to polarized light, the polarized light having a wavelength within the absorption band of said anisotropically absorbing molecules;
wherein the exposed anisotropically absorbing molecules induce alignment of the liquid crystal medium at an angle + and -θ
with respect to the direction of the polarization of the incident light beam and along the surface of the optical alignment layer, and induce a pre-tilt at an angle Φ
with respect to the surface of the optical alignment layer;
(b) applying the liquid crystal medium to the optical alignment layer, the medium having an isotropic point; and
thereafter(c) heating the liquid crystal medium above its isotropic point; and
(d) cooling the liquid crystal medium below its isotropic point.
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Abstract
A process for inducing pre-tilt in alignment of a liquid crystal medium comprising exposing at least one optical alignment layer, comprising anisotropically absorbing molecules and hydrophobic moieties, to polarized light; the polarized light having a wavelength within the absorption band of said anisotropically absorbing molecules; wherein the exposed anisotropically absorbing molecules induce alignment of the liquid crystal medium at an angle + and -θ with respect to the direction of the polarization of the incident light beam and along the surface of the optical alignment layer, and induce a pre-tilt at an angle Φ with respect to the surface of the optical alignment layer and applying a liquid crystal medium to said optical alignment layer, is described. The invention also is directed to liquid crystal display elements made by the process of the invention and to novel polyimide compositions that are useful as optical alignment layers in the invention.
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Citations
48 Claims
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1. A process for inducing pre-tilt in alignment of a liquid crystal medium adjacent to a surface of an optical alignment layer comprising;
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(a) exposing at least one optical alignment layer, comprising anisotropically absorbing molecules and hydrophobic moieties, to polarized light, the polarized light having a wavelength within the absorption band of said anisotropically absorbing molecules;
wherein the exposed anisotropically absorbing molecules induce alignment of the liquid crystal medium at an angle + and -θ
with respect to the direction of the polarization of the incident light beam and along the surface of the optical alignment layer, and induce a pre-tilt at an angle Φ
with respect to the surface of the optical alignment layer;(b) applying the liquid crystal medium to the optical alignment layer, the medium having an isotropic point; and
thereafter(c) heating the liquid crystal medium above its isotropic point; and (d) cooling the liquid crystal medium below its isotropic point. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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Specification