Patent ID: 7364671

Claim:
A method of making an at least partly polymerised, optically anisotropic layer of a mixture, said mixture comprising at least the following two components (i) a liquid crystal monomer or pre-polymer having cross-linkable groups; and (ii) a photo-orientable monomer or oligomer or polymer that, when photo-oriented, induces an alignment of the liquid crystal monomer or pre-polymer said method comprising the steps of (a) exposing the mixture to linearly polarised light while maintaining such conditions that the polymerisation or cross-linking of substance (i) is essentially inhibited, whereby at least some of the molecules of the substance (ii) are photo-oriented; and (b) allowing substance (i) to adopt the imposed orientation(s) and exposing the mixture to light, whereby at least some of the molecules of the substance (i) are polymerised or cross-linked.