Hercules Corporation

Alliant Techsystems Inc.

Elsicon, Inc.

Herecules Incorporated

Shao-Tang Sun

Wayne M Gibbons

Paul J Shannon

Michael K O'Brien

Robert P Grasso

Brian J Swetlin

Carl A Lukach

Scott T Schnelle

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 &plus; and &minus; 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 diary 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.

Process for materials for aligning liquid crystals and liquid crystal optical elements

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.

Materials for aligning liquid crystals

The present invention relates to amine compositions and the preparation of polyimides. The polyimides can be used for inducing alignment of a liquid crystal medium with polarized light and liquid crystal display elements.

Fluorinated amine products

A process for inducing pre-tilt in alignment of a liquid crystal medium comprising exposing at least one optical alignment layer, comprising anisotropically absorbing molecules and hydrophobic moieties, 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 the liquid crystal medium at an angle + and -.theta. with respect to the direction of the polarization of the incident light beam and along the surface of the optical alignment layer, and induce a pre-tilt at an angle .PHI. with respect to the surface of the optical alignment layer and applying a liquid crystal medium to said optical alignment layer, is described. The invention also is directed to liquid crystal display elements made by the process of the invention and to novel polyimide compositions that are useful as optical alignment layers in the invention.

Process and materials for inducing pre-tilt in liquid crystals and

An optical storage medium with gray scale capability comprising: a plurality of facing substrates in series; alignment layers disposed on one or both sides of the substrates to give alignment layer pair(s) wherein at least one of the alignment layers of each of the alignment layer pair(s) is an optical alignment layer, and wherein the optical alignment layer(s) comprise anisotropically absorbing molecules or moieties; liquid crystal layers disposed between the alignment layer pair(s); wherein, each of the liquid crystal layer(s) comprises three or more alignment regions having three or more different alignment states; and, wherein the different alignment states are controlled by exposure of optical alignment layer(s) with polarized light of a wavelength or wavelengths within the absorption band of the anisotropically absorbing molecules or moieties therein, is described. The invention is also directed to compact disc, erasable compact discs, photographic storage devices, and storage displays.

Liquid crystal optical storage medium with gray scale

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-.theta. 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.

Process and materials for aligning liquid crystals and liquid crystal

Organosilicon polymers, including crosslinked polymers and crosslinkable prepolymers, of cyclic polysiloxanes, organic dyes, and, optionally, polyenes. The dyes include those with delocalized Pi electron systems linking electron donor groups and electron acceptor groups, and with at least two carbon--carbon double bond-containing pendant groups attached to at least two different sites from among the indicated delocalized Pi electron systems, donor groups, and acceptor groups.

Nonlinear optical media of organosilicon crosslinked polymer

Organosilicon polymers, including crosslinked polymers and crosslinkable prepolymers, of cyclic polysiloxane, organic dyes, and, optionally, polyenes. The dyes include those with delocalized Pi electron systems linking electron donor groups and electron acceptor groups, and with at least two carbon-carbon double bond-containing pendant groups attached to at least two different sites from among the indicated delocalized Pi electron systems, donor groups, and acceptor groups.

Organosilicon polymers, and dyes, exhibiting nonlinear optical response

Organosilicon polymers, including crosslinked polymers and crosslinkable prepolymers, of cyclic polysiloxanes, organic dyes, and, optionally, polyenes. The dyes include those with delocalized Pi electron systems linking electron donor groups and electron acceptor groups, and with at least two carbon-carbon double bond-containing pendant groups attached to at least two different sites from among the indicated delocalized Pi electron systems, donor groups, and acceptor groups. Also disclosed are optical substrates coated with the organosilicon crosslinked polymers exhibiting second order non-linear optical susceptibility.

Organosilicon polymers, including crosslinked polymers and crosslinkable prepolymers, of cyclic polysiloxanes, organic dyes, and, optionally, polyenes. The dyes include those with delocalized Pi electron systems linking electron donor groups and electron acceptor groups, and with at least two carbon-carbon double bond-containing pendant groups attached to at least two different sites from among the indicated delocalized Pi electron systems, donor groups, and acceptor groups.

A liquid crystal polymer film or fiber comprising polymeric liquid crystals having aligned multiple oriented mesogens and a process for preparing such a polymeric liquid crystal film or fiber comprising aligning in a multi-oriented state a nematic or smectic monomeric mesophase (liquid crystal monomer) and photopolymerizing the mesophase, are disclosed. The film or fiber may be adhered to a substrate, part of a liquid crystal display cell, or a free standing polymeric film or fiber. According to a preferred process, the mesophase is aligned in a multi-oriented state using linearly polarized light.

Growing community of inventors

Newark, DE, United States of America

Shao-Tang Sun