Back to results
US 8,542,333 B2Granted
Liquid crystal cell alignment surface programming method and liquid cell light modulator devices made thereof
AssigneeUniversite Laval
InventorTigran Galstian
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A liquid crystal display or other light modulator is provide with an alignment layer with a pretilt that is better than is currently available with rubbing technology. The liquid crystal cell consumes less electrical power to operate. The pretilt can be programmed using suitable field and recorded in the alignment layer.
Claims22
A liquid crystal cell comprising:
- a control field source;
- and
- a pair of cell walls defining a cavity, the cavity being filled for operation with nematic liquid crystal molecules, at least one of the cell walls having an alignment layer including a rubbed foundation layer and an ordered surface layer that interacts with the liquid crystal molecules to cause alignment of the liquid crystal molecules in a zero field ground state in a predetermined essentially uniform pre-tilt director orientation between 7° and 30°, the control field source being configured to cause a change in orientation of said liquid crystal molecules from said ground state to change optical properties of said cell;
- wherein the ordered surface layer is formed, over said foundation layer having a pre-tilt angle between 1° and 6°, with alignment liquid crystal molecules aligned using an external programming field at an orientation between 7° and 30° without mechanical rubbing, said external programming field being at least one of an electric, magnetic and acoustic field.
1 more element
A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal cell, comprising:
- using an external programming field to form, over a rubbed foundation layer having a pre-tilt angle between 1° and 6°, an ordered surface layer with aligned molecules on at least one wall of a cavity of said cell, wherein said aligned molecules of said ordered surface layer are ordered and stabilized using an external programming field at an orientation between 7° and 30° without mechanical rubbing and when in contact with liquid crystal molecules of said cell cause alignment of the liquid crystal molecules in a zero control field ground state in a predetermined essentially uniform pre-tilt director orientation between 7° and 30°, said programming field being at least one of an electric, magnetic and acoustic field.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.