Open AccessEngineered liquid crystal anchoring energies with nanopatterned surfaces
Author(s) -
C. Gear,
Kenneth Diest,
Vladimir Liberman,
M. Rothschild
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.23.000807
Subject(s) - anchoring , liquid crystal , materials science , hydrogen silsesquioxane , optics , electron beam lithography , silsesquioxane , resist , optoelectronics , nanotechnology , physics , polymer , structural engineering , layer (electronics) , composite material , engineering
The anchoring energy of liquid crystals was shown to be tunable by surface nanopatterning of periodic lines and spaces. Both the pitch and height were varied using hydrogen silsesquioxane negative tone electron beam resist, providing for flexibility in magnitude and spatial distribution of the anchoring energy. Using twisted nematic liquid crystal cells, it was shown that this energy is tunable over an order of magnitude. These results agree with a literature model which predicts the anchoring energy of sinusoidal grooves.