Nanopatterned anchoring layers for liquid crystals
Name
890130372-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
5.17 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
e88a889931df2632bd599744939c236c
Author(s)
Gear, Christopher S. (Christopher Stanwood)
Advisor(s)
Kenneth Diest.
Date Issued
2014
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
This thesis describes the theory and fabrication of inhomogeneous Liquid Crystal anchoring layers. While chemical anchoring techniques have proved useful for many applications, especially Liquid Crystal Displays, they have thus far been unable to demonstrate the ability to provide anchoring energy that varies with high spatial frequencies. This thesis describes the use of nano-grooves patterned with electron beam lithography as a novel way to provide varied anchoring energies for Liquid Crystal devices. A Liquid Crystal beam deflector is discussed and designed with computational simulations as a possible application for varied anchoring layers. Anchoring grooves are patterned onto fused silica substrates, then their anchoring energies are measured using optical methods. It is shown that nanopatterned grooves are capable of producing anchoring energies which can span an order of magnitude or more across a single substrate and vary across extremely small regions (< 1 [mu]m).
Description
Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 2014.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 48-50).
Subjects
Materials Science and Engineering.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Terms of Use
M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
Persistent DSpace Link
