Liquid crystal alignment induced by suspension flow on polyimide surfaces

Abstract

In order to overcome the drawbacks of the conventional rubbing method, wet rubbing was proposed for the liquid crystal alignment process'. It utilizes uni-directional suspension flow over the polyimide layers. The flow induces surface chain orientation and micro-grooves over the threshold stress of 400 Pa., and liquid crystal molecules are aligned to the flow direction. With easy control of operations, the wet rubbing can offer accurate maintenance and surface treatment compared to conventional rubbing.