Mask for photoaligning an alignement layer, photoalignment method using the same, and liquid crystal display having the photoaligned alignement layer

An overlappable set of photoalignment masks comprising:

• a first mask including a blocking region blocking light and serving as a background portion of the first mask and a first set of maximal transmission regions alternately disposed within the background portion of the first mask;
• and
• a second mask including a second maximal transmission region serving as a background portion of the second mask and a plurality of translucent regions each having light transmittance substantially less than that of the second maximal transmission region and the translucent regions being alternately disposed within the background portion of the second mask,
• wherein the transmittance of the translucent region is in the range of 25%-70%.

A method for photo-aligning an alignment layer, comprising:

• firstly disposing a first mask including a translucent region, a maximal transmission region, and a blocking region over a first alignment layer;
• firstly irradiating UV rays to the first alignment layer through the first mask for an alignment in a first irradiation direction;
• secondly disposing the first mask in a state that is different from the first disposing;
• and
• secondly irradiating UV rays to the first alignment layer through the first mask for alignment in a second irradiation direction.

A method for photo-aligning an alignment layer comprising:

• firstly disposing a first mask including a first maximal transmission region and a first blocking region over a first alignment layer;
• secondly disposing a second mask including a second maximal transmission region and a first translucent region for the second maximal transmission region and the first translucent region to overlap the first maximal transmission region and the first blocking region;
• irradiating UV rays toward the first alignment layer and through the first and second overlapped masks for thereby photoaligning the first alignment layer in accordance with a first irradiation direction;
• thirdly disposing the first mask in a state that is different from the first disposing;
• disposing the first mask and the second mask to overlap the first maximal transmission region and the blocking region of the first mask with the second maximal transmission region and the translucent region of the second mask, and fourthly disposing the second mask in a different state from that of the second disposing;
• and
• secondly irradiating UV rays toward the first alignment layer and through the first and second masks to thereby photoalign the first alignment layer in the second irradiation direction.

A liquid crystal display comprising:

• a first substrate and a second substrate facing each other;
• and
• a liquid crystal layer formed between the first substrate and the second substrate, and including liquid crystal molecules,
• wherein the liquid crystal layer includes a plurality of regions having different alignment azimuth angles of the liquid crystal molecules, and the plurality of regions respectively include at least two sub-regions having different alignment polar angles of the liquid crystal molecules.