Optical component and method of manufacture

• US 6,160,597 A
• Filed: 09/26/1996
• Issued: 12/12/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/17/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rolic AG (BASF SE)
• Original Assignee: Rolic AG (BASF SE)
• Inventors: Seiberle, Hubert, Schuster, Andreas, Schadt, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Dudek, James A.
• Application Number:
  US08/721,509
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• Field of Search: 349/98
• US Class Current: 349/98
• CPC Class Codes: C08F 246/00 Copolymers in which the nature of only the monomers in minority is defined
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 77/38 Polysiloxanes modified by chemical after-treatment C08G77/045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/3016 involving passive liquid crystal elements optical properties of liquid crystals G02F1/0063; polarising elements associated with active liquid crystal devices G02F1/133528
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133365 Cells in which the active layer comprises a liquid crystalline polymer
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133636 with twisted orientation, e.g. comprising helically oriented LC-molecules or a plurality of twisted birefringent sublayers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133711 by organic films, e.g. polymeric films
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133753 with different alignment orientations or pretilt angles on a same surface, e.g. for grey scale or improved viewing angle
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133765 without a surface treatment
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133788 by light irradiation, e.g. linearly polarised light photo-polymerisation

Abstract

An optical component having a hybrid layer structure includes an orienting layer, a further layer in contact with the orienting layer and incorporating a cross-linked liquid crystalline monomer and at least one additional orienting layer on top of the liquid crystalline layer, and preferably includes one additional cross-linked liquid crystalline monomer. The layers have different functions, such as orienting or retarding. At least one of the orienting layers should be a photo-orientating polymer network layer, or have locally varying orienting pattern. These optical components are useful in transmittance and reflective liquid crystal displays, such as rotation cells, STN cells, ferroelectric cells, and cells having an addressable active matrix. Such cells are useful in optical and integrated optical devices, and may be used for safeguarding against counterfeiting and copying in transmission.

Claims

1. A process for making an anisotropic layer of cross-linked liquid crystalline monomers in contact with an orientating layer on a single substrate, which comprises providing one and only one substrate, applying an orientating layer onto the single substrate, then applying a layer of a non-cross-linked liquid crystalline monomer, and subsequently cross-linking the monomer.

2. The process according to claim 1 further comprising applying a second orientating layer to the liquid crystalline monomer layer.

3. The process according to claim 2 further comprising applying a second layer of non-cross-linked liquid crystalline monomer to the second orientating layer, and subsequently cross- linking the second monomer.

4. A process as claimed in claim 1, wherein the orientation layer is made from a photo-orientable material.