Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. An method for forming a liquid crystal alignment layer in a thin-film on a substrate, comprising:a step for preparing a substrate whereon a thin-film is formed that will be a liquid-crystal alignment layer;a step for placing mask, having a reflective face on the substrate side, between the substrate and an ion source; anda step for conveying the substrate, irradiating the thin-film on the substrate with an ion beam emitted from the ion source, and reflecting the ion beam between the thin-film and the reflective face of the mask, reflecting the ion beam in the orientation direction from the reflective face of the mask;wherein:the traveling direction of the substrate, in which the substrate is conveyed, is the same direction as the direction in which the ion beam is illuminated. 2. The alignment layer-forming method according to claim 1, wherein the incident angle of the ion beam onto the thin-film is varied by reflecting the ion beam with the reflective face of the mask such that the alignment layer creates a predetermined pre-tilt angle. 3. The alignment layer-forming method according to claim 1, wherein the reflective face of the mask is formed such that the spread angle of the ion beam is corrected.