# US 7,411,715 B2 · Electrooptical devices, electrooptical thin crystal films and methods making same > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,411,715 B2 - Document ID: US7411715B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/372,961 - Filed: 2006-05-15 - Published: 2006-09-14 - Granted: 2008-08-12 - Earliest claimed: 2001-11-19 - Assignees: Nitto Denko Corporation - Inventors: Pavel I. Lazarev; Michael V. Paukshto; Vladimir Sulimov - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7411715B2 ## CPC - G02F 1/035: in an optical waveguide structure - G02F 1/065: in an optical waveguide structure - G02F 1/1326: {Liquid crystal optical waveguides or liquid crystal cells specially adapted for gating or modulating between optical waveguides} - G02F 1/0118: {by controlling the evanescent coupling of light from a fibre into an active, e.g. electro-optic, overlay} - G02F 1/0356: {controlled by a high-frequency electromagnetic wave component in an electric waveguide structure} - G02F 1/3131: {in optical fibres} - G02F 1/3132: {of directional coupler type} - G02F 2201/15: periodic - G02F 2201/302: grating coupler - G02F 2203/026: attenuated or frustrated internal reflection - G02F: OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS ## Abstract A method of fabrication of an electrooptical device comprises depositing a colloid system of anisometric particles onto at least one electrode and/or onto at least one substrate and/or onto at least one layer of an isotropic or anisotropic material to form at least one layer of an electrooptical material, externally aligning the colloid system to form a preferred alignment of the colloid system particles, drying the colloid system, and forming at least one electrode and/or at least one layer of an isotropic or anisotropic material on at least a portion of the layer of the electrooptical material. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of fabrication of an electrooptical device, comprising: depositing a colloid system of anisometric particles onto at least one electrode and/or onto at least one substrate and/or onto at least one layer of an isotropic or anisotropic material to form at least one layer of an electrooptical material; externally aligning the colloid system to form a preferred alignment of the colloid system particles; drying the colloid system; and forming at least one electrode and/or at least one layer of an isotropic or anisotropic material on at least a portion of the layer of the electrooptical material. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the colloid system is either subjected to an external action in order to reduce the system viscosity before the external alignment action, or this alignment action ensuring preferred alignment of the colloid system is produced in the course of the external action reducing the system viscosity. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein the external action reducing the colloid viscosity is terminated after alignment of the system, or an additional external action is produced in order to restore viscosity of the colloid system at least on the initial level. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein the external action upon the colloid system is produced by local and/or total heating of the substrate from the side opposite to the layer of electrooptical anisotropic material, and/or by local and/or total heating of the substrate and/or the colloid solution layer from the same side on which the layer of the electrooptical anisotropic material is formed. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method according to claim 4, wherein the heating is performed using radiative and/or resistive heater, and/or an ac electric or magnetic field, and/or a flow of heated liquid and/or gas. ### Claim 6 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein the external action upon the system is produced via a mechanical action upon the colloid solution layer applied onto a substrate. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the external alignment action upon the surface of an applied colloid solution is produced by a directed mechanical motion of at least one alignment device representing a knife and/or cylindrical wiper and/or flat plate or any other instrument oriented parallel to the applied layer surface and/or at an angle to this surface, whereby a distance from the substrate surface to the edge of the alignment device is preset so as to obtain an anisotropic thin crystal film of a required thickness. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein a certain relief is made on the surface of the alignment device. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method according to claim 7, wherein the alignment is performed by heated instrument(s). ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the alignment is performed by application of an external electric field to the system. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the alignment is performed by application of an external magnetic field to the system. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the alignment is performed by application of an external electric and/or magnetic field to the system, with simultaneous heating. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the alignment is performed by illuminating the system with one or several coherent laser beams. ### Claim 14 (depends on 2) The method according to claim 2, wherein restoration of the system viscosity at least on the initial level is achieved by terminating the external action reducing the viscosity in the course of the alignment action. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the drying is performed at room temperature and a humidity of not less than 50%. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the anisotropic particles in the colloid system are crystalline. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein lyotropic liquid crystals are employed as the colloid system. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The method according to claim 17, wherein the external action is selected so as to provide for a phase transition in the system. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein a colloid system is used in which a disperse phase concentration is selected so as to ensure a thixotropic behavior of the system. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein an additional aligning action upon the system after restoration of the initial colloid system viscosity is produced in the same direction as that in the main alignment stage. ### Claim 21 (depends on 1) The method according to claim 1, wherein the kinetic units of the colloid system are charged. ### Claim 22 (depends on 1) The electrooptical anisotropic thin crystal film obtained by the method according to claim 1.