Permanent photoalignment of liquid crystals on nanostructured chalcogenide glassy thin films

Photoalignment of nematic liquid crystals is obtained on the chalcogenide glassy thin film of As2S3 using irradiation with polarized blue light. A uniform homogeneously aligned device is obtained with high contrast and strong anchoring. The device alignment quality is permanent as checked by following its functionality over a period of few months. The origin of the observed photoalignment is attributed to the photoinduced anisotropy in chalcogenide glasses. No differences between the different As2S3 film thicknesses observed, thus supporting the proposition that some orientational order is photoinduced on the surface of the glass and responsible for the photoalignment. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3555630]