Method of fabricating a liquid crystal polymer film

A method of fabricating a liquid crystal polymer film, the method comprising:

• (a) providing a support substrate having a surface having a shape arranged to define a form of a liquid crystal polymer film to be fabricated;
• (b) applying a layer of a photoaligning material consisting of an azobenzene, a stilbene, an azoxy, an azomethine, a fulgide or a diarylethene photoresponsive compound in combination with a coating solvent over said surface of said support substrate, said photoaligning material having an absorption band;
• (c) exposing said layer of photoaligning material to a light having a linear polarization and said light comprising a wavelength within said absorption band to convert said layer of photoaligning material into a layer of photoaligned material adapted for aligning molecules of a liquid crystal polymer layer in a predetermined direction;
• (d) applying a layer of a polymerizable liquid crystal over said layer of photoaligned material;
• (e) performing photopolymerization of said layer of polymerizable liquid crystal to form a liquid crystal polymer film of about 1 μm (micrometer) in thickness;
• (f) applying a dissolution solvent to said layer of photoaligned material, said dissolution solvent formulated to dissolve said photoaligned material to thereby release said liquid crystal polymer film from said support substrate;
• and
• (g) removing said liquid crystal polymer film from said support substrate, said liquid crystal polymer film having a thickness of about 1 μm.