Materials for aligning liquid crystals
US5965691A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 1, 1997 |
| Grant date | Oct 12, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jul 1, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T428/31721
- WIPO fieldMacromolecular chemistry, polymers
- WIPO sectorChemistry
Abstract
A process for aligning liquid crystals adjacent to a surface of an optical alignment layer comprising: exposing at least one optical alignment layer, comprising anisotropically absorbing molecules, to polarized light; the polarized light having a wavelength within the absorption band of said anisotropically absorbing molecules; wherein the exposed anisotropically absorbing molecules induce alignment of a liquid crystal medium at an angle + and - with respect to the direction of the polarization of the incident light beam and along the surface of the optical alignment layer; and applying a liquid crystal medium to said optical alignment layer; wherein said anisotropically absorbing molecules consist essentially of diaryl ketones, is described. The invention also is directed to a liquid crystal optical storage medium, a liquid crystal display element, and a liquid crystal diffractive optical element made by the process of the invention and to novel polyimide compositions that are useful as optical alignment layers in the process of the invention.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.