Patent ID: 7251001

Claim:
A method of treating an alignment layer by irradiating ultraviolet light onto an alignment layer having a plurality of pixel regions defined therein to treat said alignment layer for realizing alignment, said method comprising the steps of: arranging a photomask above said alignment layer; positioning said photomask with respect to said alignment layer so that a center portion of a first opening of said photomask is aligned with a center portion of a first pixel region of said alignment layer; arranging a ultraviolet light source above said photomask; wherein said UV light source, said photomask and said alignment layer are arranged such that the ultraviolet light passing through said first opening of said photomask impinges upon a pixel region of said alignment layer displaced from said first pixel by n pixel regions (n is an integer equal to or more than 1); wherein said ultraviolet light source, said photomask and said alignment layer are arranged in such a fashion as to satisfy the following relationships (1) and (2), ( g / 2 - 20 ) ≦ a ≦ ( g / 2 + 20 ) ( 1 ) 2 ⁢ d ( 4 ⁢ n + 1 ) ⁢ ⁢ tan ⁢ ⁢ θ - 20 ≦ a ≦ 2 ⁢ d ( 4 ⁢ n + 1 ) ⁢ ⁢ tan ⁢ ⁢ θ + 20 ( 2 ) where “a” (μm) is a width of said opening of said photomask, “d” (μm) is a gap between said photomask and said alignment layer, θ (rad) is an angle of the ultraviolet light made incident to said alignment layer and “g” (μm) is a pitch of said pixel regions; and irradiating the ultraviolet light from said ultraviolet light source to treat said alignment layer for realizing alignment.