Recent Advances in LPP-Photoalignment of Liquid Crystals Applied to the Phase Retarder Image of Alfred Saupe

Abstract

By means of photo alignment and simultaneous cross-linking of linearly photopolymerizable (LPP)-polymers we have recently succeeded in generating uniaxial planar alignment in adjacent liquid crystal polymer (LCP)-films deposited on single LPP-substrates. This renders the design of optically anisotropic and photopatternable hybrid layers of LPP- and LCP-films on single substrates feasible, leading to high resolution optical phase retarder LPP images. The new technology opens-up the possibility to generate and photopattern polarization interference color filters, linear polarizers and color compensators integrated directly on liquid crystal display substrates. Recent progress allows photogenerating an optical retarder image of Alfred Saupe in honor of his seventies birthday.