Liquid crystal pretilt angle control using adjustable wetting properties of alignment layers
- Department of Advanced Material Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, 134 Shinchon-dong, Seodaemun-ku, Seoul 120-749 (Korea, Republic of)
The authors demonstrate the production of amorphous fluorinated carbon (a-C:F) thin film with adjustable wetting properties, inducing variable liquid crystal (LC) pretilt angles. To control the surface wetting properties, they apply a dual radio frequency magnetron system with a controlled power ratio of targets. In this manner we obtain various compositional surfaces with fluorine and carbon components and adjust the surface energy with regard to the various compositions. Whereas the fluorine-rich a-C:F layer shows a preference for homeotropic (vertical) LC alignment, the carbon-rich a-C:F layer shows a planar LC alignment. To achieve uniform LC alignment with a proper pretilt angle, an accelerated Ar{sup +} ion beam irradiates the films after the deposition process. The ion beam selectively destroys the surface bonding of the a-C:F films, yielding an intermediate pretilt angle.
- OSTI ID:
- 20971977
- Journal Information:
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 90, Issue 25; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2749843; (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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