Alignment of liquid crystal layers

Bombardment of the surface of a substrate with a film layer is used to create alignment layers for liquid crystal displays. By using bombardment of the surface at an angle, both direct creation of the alignment layer or indirect deposition of the alignment layer material onto a glass plate can be achieved.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
1. Field of the Invention 
This invention relates in general to liquid crystal displays, and in 
particular to the structure of materials and preparation methods for the 
alignment of liquid crystal material which can be used to form a liquid 
crystal display (LCD) cell. 
2. Description of Related Art 
Liquid Crystal (LC) displays are used in various applications, e.g., video 
screens, Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs), laptop computers, etc. However, 
the processes and materials used to make LC flat panel displays are 
limited. 
Presently, mechanical rubbing or buffing techniques are used on polyimide 
films to provide an alignment surface to accept the liquid crystals. Other 
methods and materials can also create LC alignment layers, e.g., 
stretching a polymer, a Langmuir-Blodgett film, a grating structure 
produced by microlithography, oblique angle deposition of SiOx, and 
polarized UV irradiation of a polymer film. All of these methods are very 
expensive and time consuming and have not achieved completely satisfactory 
results. Most processes contain a large number of processing steps, which 
creates more possibility for error, lower device yields, and increases in 
fabrication time and device cost. 
All mechanical rubbing methods have limitations. Some drawbacks arise from 
the mechanical contact of a rubbing cloth with the surface of the 
polyimide film. For example, uneven pressure and the varying 
directionality of the rubbing contacts with the polymer surface lead to 
non uniformities in the alignment layer. Further, mechanical rubbing 
methods introduce contamination on the rubbed surface and therefore 
require cleaning the surface with detergents or solvents. This 
contamination is also not suitable for a cleanroom environment and 
requires a special room within the cleanroom to produce the alignment 
layer, adding a significant cost to manufacturing. 
The mechanical rubbing method has limitations in that it is not applicable 
with a structured surface and it is difficult to implement multidomain and 
wide viewing angle technology. Further, if a post spacer is incorporated 
for maintaining an equal spacing between the two plates, mechanical 
rubbing will cause a shadow effect. 
A controllable non-contact method is preferable over the present methods 
described above because larger viewing angles can be achieved. Further, LC 
images, in terms of both retention and creation, would be more uniform 
across the length and width of the display. Also, mechanical methods are 
time-consuming and costly. 
It can be seen, then, that there is a need for a non-contact method for 
aligning liquid crystals. It can also be seen that there is a need for a 
low-cost method for creating liquid crystal displays. It can also be seen, 
then, that there is a need for a method that uses non-polymeric materials 
for alignment layers. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
To overcome the limitations in the prior art described above, and to 
overcome other limitations that will become apparent upon reading and 
understanding the present specification, the present invention discloses 
non-contact methods for creating alignment layers and liquid crystal 
displays, and multiple apparatuses created thereby. 
A method in accordance with the present invention comprises the steps of 
"bombarding" a surface of a film with a directional particle beam, wherein 
the bombarding process creates preferentially oriented bonds on the 
surface of the film, and placing at least one liquid crystal on the 
bombarded surface. Throughout this application, the term "bombarding" 
shall refer to all processes where a surface is exposed to a particle beam 
consisting of atoms, molecules, or clusters with neutral or ionic charge. 
An object of the present invention is to create an alignment layer with 
improved properties without mechanical contact. Still another object of 
the present invention is to create LC displays at a lower cost.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
Dry Processing For Liquid-Crystal Displays Using Atomic Beam Alignment 
Before proceeding with a detailed description of the present invention, it 
is well to define certain terms to be used herein. The term dry processing 
technique will hereinafter refer to any non-aqueous gaseous environment 
deposition process by which a film can be deposited on a substrate, such 
as evaporation sputtering, ion beam deposition, chemical vapor deposition, 
plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) and so forth. The term 
dry processed film refers to any film that is deposited using a dry 
processing technique. 
The present invention relates to an improved method of forming and aligning 
an alignment film on transparent substrates of LCDs. The present invention 
employs a dry processing technique, such as PECVD, to deposit an amorphous 
alignment film on the transparent substrates. The present invention also 
aligns the atomic structure of the dry processed alignment film in at 
least one desired direction through use of an atomic beam device. Such an 
arrangement provides a dry processed alignment film which is comparable in 
performance to polyimide films of the prior art, but does not require the 
additional steps of applying a wet coat of the film material, baking the 
wet coat to form the film, running the film through rollers, rubbing the 
film and cleaning the film. Moreover, such an arrangement also provides a 
faster and more low cost method of depositing and aligning the alignment 
films, than the prior art. 
Referring to FIG. 7, a liquid-crystal cell 700 includes a pair of 
substrates, preferably glass plates, 720A and 720B which serve as a 
twisted nematic cell. Liquid-crystal cell 700 further includes transparent 
electrodes 702 and 704 located on respective substrates 720A and 720B; dry 
processed alignment films 706 and 708: sealing resin 710 and 112; spacers 
714 and 716 (i.e., glass beads or plastic sphere) and twisted nematic 
liquid-crystal 718. Substrates 720A and 720B can be bonded together with 
the use of an adhesive, such as glue. It is preferred that the alignment 
film surfaces of substrates 720A and 720B are separated from each other by 
a space of approximately 5 .mu.m, by spacers 714 and 716. Liquid crystal 
718 is sandwiched between alignment layer 706 and 708. 
The components of nematic liquid-crystal cell 700 are generally known in 
the art, except for the particular material of alignment films 706 and 708 
and the process by which the films are deposited on respective substrates 
720A and 720B, both of which are described in detail below. 
Various types of films may be employed in conjunction with dry processing 
techniques to form alignment films suitable for use in LCDs. However, in 
order for a film to be suitable for use in LCDs, the film must be 
optically transparent and amorphous or fine stained. The term amorphous 
means that the atomic structure of the film has no preferred direction or 
orientation. 
Based on the above factors, it has been discovered that the following film 
materials can be employed to form a suitable alignment film: hydrogenated 
diamond-like carbon (DLC). amorphous hydrogenated silicon, SiC, SiO.sub.2, 
glass, Si.sub.3 N.sub.4, Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, CeO.sub.2, SnO.sub.2 and 
ZnTiO.sub.2. These materials can be used to form alignment films that, at 
a minimum, are comparable to polyimide films of the prior art, but that 
require fewer steps and less cost to manufacture. It should be understood 
that any type of film material may be used so long as the formed film is 
optically transparent, particularly in the visible spectrum. 
In the preferred embodiment, alignment films 706 and 708 are formed of 
hydrogenated DLC. The hydrogenated DLC film is preferably deposited using 
a PECVD process, and is aligned using an atomic beam that is scanned in a 
predetermined direction. That is, an atomic beam is employed to arrange or 
align the atomic structure of the alignment film in at least one desired 
direction such that, when an LCD, is formed, the liquid crystal molecules 
orient to the predetermined direction of the alignment films. The 
preferred embodiment is described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 
8 and 9. 
Referring to FIG. 8, there is shown a preferred PECVD processing apparatus 
810, for depositing an alignment film, such as hydrogenated DLC, on a 
substrate 720. Apparatus 810 includes a reactor chamber 812 having a 
throttle valve 814 which separates reactor chamber 812 from a vacuum pump 
(not shown). A cathode 828 is mounted to reactor chamber 812 and is 
isolated therefrom by a dielectric spacer 830. Cathode 828 is provided 
with a heater 824, an inlet of N.sub.2 gas 826 and an exhaust for N.sub.2 
gas. Substrate 720 is attached to an inner end of cathode 828. Cathode 828 
is electrically connected to a radio frequency (RF) source 818 which may 
be regulated, and the impedance between cathode 828 and RF source 818 is 
matched by utilizing an impedance matching device 816. 
Reactor chamber 812 also includes conduits 832 and 834 which introduce 
various materials into reactor chamber 812. For example, pre-mixed 
hydrocarbon helium gas mixture (i.e., C.sub.2 H.sub.2 /He) and hydrogen 
(H.sub.2) can be introduced into reactor chamber 812 through conduit 834 
and 836, respectively, while argon (Ar) gas for cleaning substrate 720 is 
introduced through conduit 832. 
To form a hydrogenated DLC alignment film, the hydrocarbon gas may be any 
hydrocarbon compound which is first capable of being gaseous and is able 
to form a plasma at the reaction conditions employed by the present 
process. The term hydrocarbon implies that the molecules which make up the 
compound contain carbon and hydrogen atoms. The present process may also 
utilize saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon compounds. By definition, a 
saturated hydrocarbon compound is a compound whose molecules contain only 
carbon single bonds, while an unsaturated compound is a compound whose 
molecules contain carbon double or triple bonds. 
It is preferred that the hydrocarbons are alkanes, alkenes and alkynes. An 
alkane is defined herein as a compound whose molecules contain only single 
bonds between carbon atoms, such as methane, ethane, propane, butane and 
the like thereof. Alkenes are defined herein as compounds whose molecules 
contain a carbon-carbon double bond, such as ethene, propene, n-butene and 
the like thereof. Finally, an alkyne compound is defined herein as a 
hydrocarbon whose molecules contain a carbon-carbon triple bond, such as 
acetylene, propyne, 1-butyne, 2-butyne and the like thereof. However, it 
should be noted that mixtures of hydrocarbon gases, such as 
acetylene/methane, may also be employed to form the alignable DLC 
alignment film of the present invention. 
In order to obtain an hydrogenated DLC alignment film with high thermal 
stability, the hydrocarbon gas is preferably diluted with helium. The term 
diluted is defined herein as an admixture of a hydrocarbon (i.e., C.sub.2 
H.sub.2) with helium, such that the final concentration of the hydrocarbon 
in the admixture constitutes preferably from about 0.5% to about 90% of 
the admixture. It is also preferred that the hydrocarbon is diluted with 
helium such that the final concentration of hydrocarbon in the admixture 
is from about 2% to about 50%. 
Gases employed by the present invention have a purity greater than about 
95.5%, but preferably in the range from about 98.5% to about 99.99%. The 
high purity gases are pre-mixed in the same gas cylinder before being 
introduced in reaction chamber 812. The gas mixture is introduced into 
reaction chamber 812 by first passing it through a flow controller at a 
sufficient flow to provide a total pressure of hydrocarbon and helium from 
about 1.times.10.sup.-3 Torr to about 600.times.10.sup.-3 Torr. It is 
preferred that the pressure of hydrocarbon helium mixture be about 
20.times.10.sup.-3 Torr to 200.times.10.sup.-3 Torr. The above conditions 
can also be obtained by introducing each gas separately through flow 
controllers providing the desired partial pressures. 
Substrate 720 (generally denoting substrates 720A and 720B of FIG. 7) can 
be a transparent material, such as glass, plastic or any material suitable 
for use in a LCD cell. Substrate 720B (FIG. 7) can also be a 
nontransparent material, such as Si-based substrate for reflective display 
panels. Substrate 720 is mounted on a RF cathode 828 inside reaction 
chamber 812 of PECVD apparatus 8. Reaction chamber 812 is then tightly 
sealed and evacuated until a partial pressure reading of preferably about 
1.times.10.sup.-5 Torr or below is obtained. After evacuating reaction 
chamber 812 to a desired pressure range, substrate 720 is preferably 
maintained at room temperature 24.degree. C. 
Depending on the type of substrate used, the material may or may not be 
subjected to in-situ plasma cleaning prior to depositing the diamond-like 
carbon film. However, if desired the following cleaning techniques may be 
employed, such as H.sub.2, Ar, O.sub.2 and N.sub.2 plasma sputter etching 
techniques. In the present case, it is preferred that substrate 720 is 
precleaned for about 1.0 minute in an Ar plasma at a pressure of about 
5.times.10.sup.-3 Torr and a RF power density of approximately 0.31 
W/cm.sup.2. 
After achieving and maintaining the desired temperature, the admixed gas is 
introduced into reaction chamber 812 at an appropriate flow rate, 
preferably about 10 to 100 sccm. The admixture is introduced into reaction 
chamber 812 at an appropriate pressure, preferably about 1.times.10.sup.-3 
Torr to 1000.times.10.sup.-3 Torr. In the preferred embodiment, the gases 
are introduced in reactor chamber 812 at a flow of about 25 sccm for the 
hydrocarbon mixture (i.e., acetylene/helium or C.sub.2 H.sub.2 /He) and 
about 15 sccm, for the H.sub.2 gas. 
In order to obtain a plasma of the gas mixture, the cathode bias is held 
fixed at an appropriate voltage depending on the gas mixture. It is 
preferred that the voltage is from about -20 V to -300 V, but more 
preferably at about -125 V, throughout the deposition process. This 
voltage is supplied to RF cathode 828 by using an RF choke-isolated DC 
power supply source. To minimize damage to substrate 720 during the 
deposition process, a low RF power density should be utilized. Typically, 
this involves applying an RF power density from about 3 to 20 mW/CM.sup.2, 
preferably about 15 mW/cm.sup.2. 
The hydrogenated DLC alignment film is then deposited onto substrate 720 at 
a rate, such that an essentially continuous coating of the film on the 
substrate is obtained. By employing the above-mentioned operation 
parameters, the hydrogenated DLC alignment film can be deposited onto the 
substrate at a rate of about 5 .ANG./min to 10,000 .ANG./min. 
In accordance with the present invention, the hydrogenated DLC alignment 
film deposited on the substrate can range from about 10 to 10,000 .ANG. 
thick, preferably from about 10 to 100 .ANG. thick. The optical 
transparency of the hydrogenated DLC alignment film can be controlled by 
varying the resultant thickness. Thus, the optical transparency of the 
hydrogenated DLC alignment film can be varied by merely increasing or 
decreasing its thickness. For example, a thickness of approximately 60 
.ANG. is sufficient for obtaining over 90% transmittance through the 
visible spectrum. 
Hydrogenated DLC alignment films deposited in accordance with the process 
of the present invention are characterized as being amorphous, thermally 
stable, electrically insulating and optically transparent. Additionally, 
the hydrogenated DLC aligmment films deposited by PECVD from a 
hydrocarbon/helium gas mixture have a dielectric strength comparable to 
that normally associated with diamond films. The diamond-like carbon film 
deposited from a hydrocarbon/helium gas mixture in accordance with the 
present invention has a dielectric strength close to 10 MV/cm. 
Referring to FIG. 9, there is provided an atomic beam alignment device 948 
for aligning an atomic structure of an alignment film (e.g., hydrogenated 
DLG film) in at least one desired direction or orientation through the use 
of ion radiation. As is generally understood the alignment film serves to 
orient the direction of the liquid-crystal. That is, when a liquid cell is 
formed, the molecules of the liquid-crystal align along the direction(s) 
provided by the atomic structure of the alignment films. Accordingly, 
atomic beam 948 can be used to radiate ions at the alignment film to 
disturb (i.e., to break bonds) and align the atomic structure of the 
alignment film in a desired direction or orientation, such as in a 
horizontal, unidirectional or multidirectional manner. A mask with 
features etched into it can also be used to selectively align a local 
area, thus leading to the fabrication of domains of alignment. These can 
then be used to fabricate a multidomain display, which has vastly superior 
viewing attributes. For multidirectional alignment, it is preferred that 
the multidirections are selected in such a fashion that results in a 
multidomain device. 
As shown in FIG. 9, atomic beam device 948 includes a bell jar 60, an 
alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power source 950 and a 
group of three electrodes. The three electrodes include an accelerating 
electrode 954, a pulling electrode 956 and an earth electrode 958 through 
which ions are extracted that are generated by plasma generating unit 952. 
Although three electrodes are described above, the present invention may 
also utilize two electrodes to generate a beam of atoms, (e.g., a 
two-gridded ion optic set). Atomic beam device 948 further includes a 
plate fixing platform 962 located within bell jar 960; substrate 720 fixed 
on plate fixing platform 962 and having an alignment film thereon; a 
neutralization filament or device 968 (positioned in the path of the 
atomic beam) or the equivalent thereof; and a gas flow rate control unit 
970. Atomic beam-device 948 may further include a mask 966 covering the 
surrounding of substrate 920. 
Plasma generating unit 952 serves to generate ions with the group of three 
electrodes 954, 956 and 958 extracting ions and irradiating substrate 720. 
Gas supply 972 is connected to the vacuum chamber 960 through a gas flow 
controller 970. Substrate 720 is fixed on plate fixing platform 962 in a 
manner to maintain an angle .theta. which is the angle of incidence of the 
accelerated grains with respect to a line that is normal to substrate 720. 
The angle .theta. preferably ranges from about 20.degree. to 80.degree.. 
In operation, vacuum pump 976 serves to evacuate bell jar 960, through a 
valve 974, preferably to an extent of 1.times.10.sup.-5 Torr to 
2.times.10.sup.-5 Torr. Thereafter, a gas is introduced to bell jar 960 
through gas flow rate control unit 970. The gas may be a noble or inert 
gas, such as helium (He), argon (Ar), Neon (Ne), krypton (Kr) or Xenon 
(Xe); an admixture of a noble gas with an active gas, such as nitrogen, 
fluorine, a fluorocarbon, or a hydrocarbon, nitrogen: oxygen; or 
combinations thereof. Plasma generating unit 952 is then operated at an 
appropriate pressure, preferably at about 1.times.1.sup.-4 Torr to 
1.times.10.sup.-5 Torr, so that the introduced gas enters into a plasma 
state. An appropriate voltage, preferably about 75 V to 200 V, is then 
applied to accelerating electrode 954 which serves to apply kinetic energy 
to the ions extracted from the plasma. 
It should be noted that the orientation or direction of the alignment film 
can be adjusted by selecting an appropriate angle of incidence .theta., 
voltage applied to the accelerating electrode, amount of exposure time and 
so forth. The alignment film of substrate 720 is preferably exposed to the 
aligning ion radiation for about 5 seconds to 2 minutes for DLC films. 
However, it should be noted that the radiating ions may cause charge to 
collect on the alignment film. Since the alignment film serves as an 
insulating layer, neutralization filament or device 968 or the equivalent 
thereof (such as a plasma bridge neutralizers or hollow cathodes) is 
employed to emit thermal electrons to neutralize the ions. This design 
allows an array of non-linear display elements, such as TFT or MIM, to be 
present on the substrate, since it does not generate such static 
electricity as to damage the non-linear elements. 
Although the step of depositing the film and the step of aligning the film 
are described above as being performed in separate chambers, it should be 
understood that both steps may be performed in the same chamber, room or 
location. It is also important to understand that the above process may be 
employed with dry processing techniques other than PECVD. The alignment 
film may also be a dry processed film other than hydrogenated DLC, such as 
amorphous hydrogenated silicon, carbon nitride, boron nitride, SiC, 
SiO.sub.2, glass, Si.sub.3 N.sub.4, Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, CeO.sub.2, SnO.sub.2 
and ZnTiO.sub.2 or any other dry processed film suitable for use in LCDs. 
Any type of dry processed film may be employed so long as it is optically 
transparent (particularly in the visible spectrum), and amorphous or 
fine-grained. It should also be understood that the step of depositing the 
film and the step of aligning the film is applicable both to transparent 
substrates for transmissive displays or transmissive light valves, and to 
the transparent substrate combined with a non-transparent substrate for 
reflective displays or reflective light valves. 
Display Characteristics of DLC Film 
Various experiments were conducted on hydrogenated DLC film to determine 
its suitability as an alignment film. The experiments were performed to 
ascertain whether DLC alignment films provided the necessary display 
characteristics required of alignment films. The display characteristics 
include optical transparency electrical insulating quality, pretilt angle, 
anchoring energy, charge retention, quality of a gray scale in an LCD and 
image deterioration. Through such experimentation, it was determined that 
dry processed hydrogenated DLC film provides comparable performance to wet 
coated polyimide films of the prior art. The results of the experiments 
are discussed below with reference to FIGS. 10 through 13 and Table I. 
TABLE I 
______________________________________ 
Transmission Percentage of DLC alignment film on Glass/ITO 
Plate 
Hydrogen 
WAVELENGTH (nm) 
Content 
620 nm 540 nm 450 nm 
______________________________________ 
40 .ANG., Standard DLC 
26.0% 96.16% 93.92% 90.12% 
40 .ANG., Hydrogenated DLC* 
30.0% 98.62% 
97.67% 95.76% 
50 .ANG., Hydrogenated DLC* 
30.0% 97.81% 
96.36% 93.58% 
75 .ANG., Hydrogenated DLC* 
30.0% 98.38% 
94.46% 90.78% 
______________________________________ 
* the tested hydrogenated DLC alignment film has an approximately 30% 
hydrogen content. 
With regard to optical transparency the optical transmission characteristic 
of DLC alignment films were examined as a function of thickness and 
hydrogen content. Table I shows that by increasing the hydrogen (H) 
content, the optical transmission also increases. This information is 
provided in Table I. As shown in Table I, transmission percentages for 
hydrogenated DLC alignment films are well above 90% in the visible 
spectrum. Hydrogenated DLC films are thus optically transparent and are 
suitable for use as an alignment film of a LCD cell. The diamond-like 
carbon structure of hydrogenated DLC films also provides a film that is 
electrically insulating. 
For a standard DLC alignment film (i.e., with a hydrogen content of about 
26%) having a 40 .ANG. thickness, the transmission percentage of a 630 nm 
wavelength is about 96.16%, of a 540 nm wavelength is about 93.92%, and of 
a 450 nm wavelength is 90.12%. As shown in Table I, at higher hydrogen 
content DLC films have an increased transmission percentage over a 
standard DLC with the same thickness. In particular, hydrogenated DLC with 
a thickness of 40 .ANG. and a hydrogen content of about 30% has a 
transmission percentage of 98.62% for a 620 nm wavelength, 97.67% for a 
540 nm wavelength, and 95.76% for a 450 nm wavelength. Hydrogenated DLC 
films with a thickness of about 50 .ANG. and 75 .ANG. also have improved 
optical characteristics over the above standard DLC with a smaller 
thickness and lower hydrogen content. A graph of the transmission 
percentage versus the wavelength for hydrogenated carbon film with a 50 
.ANG. thickness is shown in FIG. 10. The transmission percentage of a 50 
.ANG. hydrogenated DLC film is about 90% for a wavelength of 392.1 nm and 
increases with the wavelength. 
Accordingly, thicker alignment films can be employed with suitable optical 
transparency by either increasing the hydrogen content (as in this case) 
or adding another element. In this way, thicker alignment films may be 
employed without sacrificing the optical characteristic of the film. Such 
an arrangement thus provides greater design flexibility in the 
manufacturing of LCD cells. 
FIG. 11 illustrates a graph of the pretilt angle of a LCD cell with a DLC 
alignment film. This pretilt angle is determined from optical transmission 
vs. cell rotation, as shown in FIG. 11. The pretilt angle relates to the 
angle at which the molecules of the hydrogenated DLC alignment film are 
naturally oriented with respect to the substrate. For good display 
characteristics, the pretilt angle should be greater than 2 to 2.5 degrees 
(.degree.). As shown in FIG. 11, the pretilt angle of the hydrogenated DLC 
alignment film having a thickness of 50 .ANG. and a hydrogen content of 
about 30% is at least 3.0 degrees (.degree.) The pretilt angle can be 
deduced from the minimum point of the graph of FIG. 11, which, in this 
case, is about 3.3 degrees (.degree.). 
Measurements were also performed to determine the anchoring energy and 
charge retention of a hydrogenated DLC film. Anchoring energy relates to 
the binding strength between a liquid-crystal and an alignment film 
surface. If the anchoring energy is too low, the LCD cannot function 
properly. It is known that the anchoring energy of rubbed polyimide, about 
1.4 N/m (where N=Newtons), is adequate for use in LCDs. For hydrogenated 
DLC films, the anchoring energy was determined to be about 2 N/m which is 
greater than that of the prior art films. Hydrogenated DLC films are thus 
viable candidates as alignment films. 
With respect to charge retention, the hydrogenated DLC alignment film of 
the present invention was also determined to be comparable to that of 
rubbed polyimide film. 
Referring to FIG. 12, there is shown a graph of the variation of the 
transmission of light versus voltage to determine the quality of a gray 
scale in an LCD employing DLC alignment films. As shown in FIG. 12, the 
transmission of light gradually changes from about 1.5 V to 3.0 V with a 
transmission switching point at about 2.15 V. The above transmission 
characteristics (as shown in FIG. 12) are comparable to the best polyimide 
films. Therefore, hydrogenated DLC alignment films provide a gray scale 
quality comparable to that of the best polyimide films. 
Another significant characteristic for an alignment film relates to image 
deterioration associated with residual voltages build up over time, when 
an LCD is in an ON state. This problem is commonly referred to as the 
image sticking problem and can be quantified in terms of brightness versus 
time. As shown in the graph of FIG. 7, there is no measurable sticking 
problem with hydrogenated DLC alignment films. That is, the brightness 
value of an LCD cell with hydrogenated DLC alignment films abruptly 
changes when turned ON or OFF (i.e., a step change) which indicates no 
image deterioration over time. 
In the following description of the preferred embodiment, reference is made 
to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is 
shown by way of illustration a specific embodiment in which the invention 
may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be 
utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the 
scope of the present invention. 
Overview 
Typically, the alignment of liquid crystals (LCs) in flat panel displays is 
accomplished by placing a thin film of LC on a mechanically rubbed 
polyimide film coated on a suitable substrate. Limitations imposed by the 
mechanical rubbing method, e.g., creating multiple domains for improving 
the viewing angle, ease of control of the LC pretilt angle, in conjunction 
with the difficulty of optimizing polymer materials, e.g., polymers that 
help reduce image sticking, make it highly desirable to use alternative 
materials and a non-contact LC alignment method. 
Other methods and materials can also create LC alignment layers, e.g., 
stretching a polymer, a Langmuir-Blodgett film, a grating structure 
produced by microlithography, oblique angle deposition of SiOx, and 
polarized UV irradiation of a polymer film. All of these methods are very 
expensive and time consuming. Most processes contain a large number of 
processing steps, which creates more possibility for error, lower device 
yields, and increases in fabrication time and device cost. 
The present invention avoids costly additional layers and processing steps 
as well as mechanically contacting the surface of the alignment film layer 
by directionally depositing the alignment layer directly onto the surface. 
The present invention performs this by directional deposition or by 
modifying the surface through implantation techniques. 
One method is to directly deposit the material on the surface, while 
another method is to use an ion beam (typically argon) to bombard a target 
which then emits particles that are deposited on a second surface. Other 
gases that can be ionized can also be used to bombard the target. This 
bombardment process creates many characteristics that assist in the 
manufacture of LC displays. 
As such, more materials are now available for use as an alignment structure 
for LC displays. The present invention discloses that any covalent or 
partially covalent material containing surface preferentially oriented 
bonds, e.g., glass, or those involving hydrogen, boron, carbon, silicon, 
aluminum, tin, chlorine, phosphorous, nitrogen, fluorine, and oxygen or 
other atoms, or having preferentially oriented bonds of similar materials 
near the surface, are acceptable materials for LC alignment. 
Because of the directional nature of bonds in covalent or partially 
covalent materials, such materials can be modified at or near their 
surfaces through reorientation, destruction, or creation of new bonds to 
yield preferential bond alignment. 
Whenever an alignment on a molecular level exists on the surface, the 
material will align a LC placed on the surface. For mechanically rubbed 
surfaces in the prior art, the alignment originates from preferential 
chain segment alignment through unidirectional contact with the rubbing 
cloth fibers. However, mechanical rubbing is not completely uniform. 
Ion bombardment of polymers creates anisotropic bonds near the surface by 
directional bond breaking and subsequent bond formation. Typical Argon ion 
beam irradiation of a polymer results in a thin surface layer (a few 
nanometers) of a largely disordered, amorphous carbon-like structure which 
exhibits preferential bond orientation relative to the incoming ion beam 
direction. In all cases, the directional molecular bonds form the template 
for LC alignment on the surface. Further, it is possible to use 
crystalline or polycrystalline materials to assist or directly create 
alignment layers as described in the present invention. 
Preferential Bond Creation 
The preferential bond alignment can be created in a number of ways. To 
avoid the use of a polymer film, a dry processed layer can be created by 
selectively depositing material to form the alignment layer. 
FIG. 1 shows directly depositing material on a substrate in accordance with 
the present invention. 
Substrate 10 is exposed to an ion beam 12 at an angle of incidence 14. 
Angle of incidence 14 can vary from 5 to 80 degrees, and is preferentially 
45+/-20 degrees. Angle of incidence 14 is more preferentially 45+/-5 
degrees, and most preferentially 45 degrees. 
The surface 16 of substrate 10, is typically exposed to an ion beam 12 
comprised of atoms that will preferentially bond with the substrate 10 at 
the surface 16. This can take place by growing new material on the surface 
16, or by implanting material into the substrate 10 at or near the surface 
16. The material implanted can be hydrogen, boron, carbon, silicon, 
aluminum, tin, chlorine, phosphorous, nitrogen, fluorine, oxygen, or other 
molecules or ions. 
Ion beam 12 can take many forms. Typically, ion beam 12 is comprised of 
ions as used in ion implantation, but can also be a molecular or atomic 
beam as used in molecular beam epitaxy or a chemical vapor as used in 
chemical vapor deposition. 
By varying the angle of incidence 14, the surface 16 of the substrate 10 
will take on various forms. The surface 16, after exposure to ion beam 14, 
will become an alignment layer on substrate 10. The preferred form of 
surface 16 after the deposition or implantation by ion beam 12 contains a 
plurality of preferentially oriented bonds in a given direction, which is 
formed by the ion beam 12 at a forty-five degree angle of incidence 14. 
Depending on the material deposited or implanted by ion beam 12 and the 
material used in the substrate 10, the angle of incidence 14 used to 
create the preferred embodiment may vary from forty-five degrees. 
FIG. 2 illustrates an indirect deposition as embodied in the present 
invention. 
FIG. 2 shows target 18 being exposed to ion beam 12 at an angle of 
incidence 20. Where target 18 is exposed to ion beam 12, ion beam 12 is 
typically created using a noble gas, but can also be created by an 
admixture of a reactive gas with a noble gas, e.g., oxygen mixed with a 
noble gas, nitrogen ions mixed with a noble gas, carbon mixed with a noble 
gas, hydrogen mixed with a noble gas, fluorocarbons mixed with a noble 
gas, hydrocarbons mixed with a noble gas, and chlorine mixed with a noble 
gas. Further, the beam 12 can be purely reactive, comprising e.g., oxygen, 
nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen, fluorocarbons, hydrocarbons, chlorine, or 
other reactive ions. 
Substrate 10 is exposed to emissions 22 that are generated by target 18 
during exposure to ion beam 12. Emissions 22 strike surface 16 of 
substrate 10 at an angle of incidence 14. Emissions 22 are deposited on 
surface 16 of substrate 10. The deposition of emissions 22 creates the 
alignment layer on the surface 16 of the substrate 10. 
In FIG. 2, an indirect method of creating the alignment layer is shown. 
Substrate 10 can now be any material, and the deposition of emissions 22 
can be easily controlled by the strength of the ion beam 12 and the angles 
of incidence 14 and 20. Thus, an alignment layer can be created on the 
surface 16 without mechanical contact with the surface 16. 
FIGS. 3A-3C illustrate the creation of an alignment layer based on the 
method illustrated in FIG. 1. 
FIG. 3A shows a substrate 10 with a surface 16. Those skilled in the art 
will recognize that the surface 16 could be an additional layer of 
material placed on top of substrate 10. 
FIG. 3B shows surface 16 being exposed to ion beam 12. 
FIG. 3C shows surface 16, after being exposed to ion beam 12 or beam 22 for 
some period of time, having additional or modified material 24 being 
deposited on surface 16. Additional or modified material 24 is shown in a 
microscopic view, where the material 24 and bonds 25A and 25B are shown 
enlarged for ease of viewing. Bonds 25A and 25B are covalent or partially 
covalent bonds between atoms and are not visible to the human eye but 
their existence and preferred orientation can be detected by spectroscopic 
methods. 
Additional material 24 is generated by beam 22 as shown in FIG. 2. Modified 
material 24 is generated by ion beam 12 as shown in FIG. 1. As ion beam 12 
deposits material 24 on surface 16, bonds are created at the surface 16. 
Even though material 24 contains random bond angles, bonds 25A, for 
example, are slightly more prevalent than the bonds 25B in material 24. On 
average, the material 24 exhibits an directional anisotropy of its bonds 
and this anisotropy creates the ability of the material 24 to serve as an 
alignment layer on surface 16. The bond anisotropy depends on the angle of 
incidence 14 between the surface 16 of the substrate 10 and the direction 
of the ion beam 12. 
The method shown in FIG. 2 would create additional material 24, also called 
emissions 22, that are deposited on surface 16 of substrate 10, similar to 
that shown in FIG. 3C. However, using the method shown in FIG. 2 would 
allow for additional materials to be used for substrate 10. 
The illustrated bonds 25A and 25B can be of several forms, such as in 
benzene rings, molecular chains or crystalline or amorphous materials. The 
depiction in FIG. 3C is illustrative in nature only and is not meant to 
limit the materials that can be used for ion beam 12 or emissions 22. 
Use Of The Alignment Layers In A Liquid Crystal Cell 
FIG. 4 illustrates a liquid crystal cell manufactured in accordance with 
the present invention. 
As shown in FIG. 4, a liquid crystal cell 100 includes a pair of substrates 
10A and 10B. Substrates 10A and 10B are typically glass plates, but can be 
other materials that are transparent in the visible region. One of the 
substrates 10A or 10B can also be a non-transparent substrate. 
Liquid crystal cell 100 further includes transparent electrodes 26 and 28 
located on respective substrates 10A and 10B, or electrodes 26 and 28 
located on respective substrates 10A and 10B where one of these substrates 
is non-transparent, alignment layers 30 and 32, sealing resin 34 and 36, 
spacers 38 and 40 (i.e., glass beads), and twisted nematic liquid crystal 
42. 
Preferably, the alignment layers 30 and 32 are separated by a space of 
approximately 5 microns by spacers 38 and 40. 
The use of dry deposited materials to form the alignment layers 30 and 32 
provide the ability to create precise alignment layers 30 and 32, on the 
substrates 10A and 10B respectively, in an efficient and simple manner. 
The ability to provide inexpensive alignment layers 30 and 32 that are 
easily produced decreases the manufacturing costs of liquid crystal cell 
100 and increases the yield of liquid crystal cell 100 during 
manufacturing. 
FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the steps used in the present invention. 
Block 44 represents the step of bombarding a surface, wherein the step of 
bombarding creates surface preferentially oriented bonds on the surface. 
Block 46 represents the step of placing at least one liquid crystal on the 
bombarded surface. 
FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating the steps used in the present invention. 
Block 48 represents the step of aligning a surface of a substrate directly. 
Block 50 represents the step of bombarding a target, wherein the target 
emits a material in a direction towards the surface of the substrate and 
deposits the material on the surface of the substrate. 
Block 52 represents the step of placing at least one liquid crystal on the 
material deposited on the surface of the substrate. 
Conclusion 
In summary, apparatuses and methods for creating oriented layers for 
aligning liquid crystals are disclosed in the present application. 
Bombardment of the surface with particle beams, which either directly or 
indirectly deposit material on the surface or implants material into the 
surface, creates an alignment layer used for aligning liquid crystals. The 
uniformity of the layer, made possible by preferentially oriented bonds at 
the surface of the substrate, allows the liquid crystals to be more 
precisely controlled. The thickness and electronic properties of the 
alignment layer may also be tailored for optimum performance. Further, the 
alignment layer is less expensive to manufacture in terms of time and 
cost. 
The foregoing description of the preferred embodiment of the invention has 
been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is not 
intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form 
disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the 
above teaching. It is intended that the scope of the invention be limited 
not by this detailed description, but rather by the claims appended 
hereto.