Optical anisotropy and liquid‐crystal alignment properties of rubbed polyimide layers

Abstract

The relation between the optical anisotropy of rubbed polyimide layers and the rubbing process is investigated using the recently developed polarization‐conversion guided mode technique. Results indicate that the effective optical anisotropy of the polyimide layers may be substantially changed by the rubbing process, although this does not significantly influence the ability of the polyimide layers to align liquid crystals.

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge support by the EPSRC and thank the University of Exeter for granting the position of visiting Professor to Professor Fuzi Yang.