Photo-Induced Alignment and Patterning of Hybrid Liquid Crystalline Polymer Films on Single Substrates

Abstract

By means of photo alignment and simultaneous cross-linking of linearly photopolymerizable (LPP)-polymers we have succeeded in generating uniaxial planar alignment in adjacent liquid crystal polymer (LCP)-films deposited on single LPP-substrates. It became thus possible to design optically anisotropic and photopatternable hybrid layers of LPP- and LCP-films on single substrates. Hybrid photopolymer configurations were made and are shown to render high resolution optical phase retarder images feasible. The new technology opens-up the possibility to generate and photopattern polarization interference color filters and color compensators integrated directly on liquid crystal display substrates. Moreover, the technology is the basis for new copy proof optical devices.