CN119620471A - Liquid crystal microstructure modulation device and control method and preparation method thereof - Google Patents
Liquid crystal microstructure modulation device and control method and preparation method thereof Download PDFInfo
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- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02F—OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
- G02F1/00—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics
- G02F1/01—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour
- G02F1/13—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells
- G02F1/133—Constructional arrangements; Operation of liquid crystal cells; Circuit arrangements
- G02F1/1333—Constructional arrangements; Manufacturing methods
- G02F1/1337—Surface-induced orientation of the liquid crystal molecules, e.g. by alignment layers
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- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02F—OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
- G02F1/00—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics
- G02F1/01—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour
- G02F1/13—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells
- G02F1/133—Constructional arrangements; Operation of liquid crystal cells; Circuit arrangements
- G02F1/1333—Constructional arrangements; Manufacturing methods
- G02F1/1337—Surface-induced orientation of the liquid crystal molecules, e.g. by alignment layers
- G02F1/133753—Surface-induced orientation of the liquid crystal molecules, e.g. by alignment layers with different alignment orientations or pretilt angles on a same surface, e.g. for grey scale or improved viewing angle
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- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02F—OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
- G02F1/00—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics
- G02F1/01—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour
- G02F1/13—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells
- G02F1/133—Constructional arrangements; Operation of liquid crystal cells; Circuit arrangements
- G02F1/1333—Constructional arrangements; Manufacturing methods
- G02F1/1339—Gaskets; Spacers; Sealing of cells
- G02F1/13392—Gaskets; Spacers; Sealing of cells spacers dispersed on the cell substrate, e.g. spherical particles, microfibres
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- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02F—OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
- G02F1/00—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics
- G02F1/01—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour
- G02F1/13—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells
- G02F1/137—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells characterised by the electro-optical or magneto-optical effect, e.g. field-induced phase transition, orientation effect, guest-host interaction or dynamic scattering
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- G—PHYSICS
- G02—OPTICS
- G02F—OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
- G02F1/00—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics
- G02F1/01—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour
- G02F1/13—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells
- G02F1/137—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells characterised by the electro-optical or magneto-optical effect, e.g. field-induced phase transition, orientation effect, guest-host interaction or dynamic scattering
- G02F1/139—Devices or arrangements for the control of the intensity, colour, phase, polarisation or direction of light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. switching, gating or modulating; Non-linear optics for the control of the intensity, phase, polarisation or colour based on liquid crystals, e.g. single liquid crystal display cells characterised by the electro-optical or magneto-optical effect, e.g. field-induced phase transition, orientation effect, guest-host interaction or dynamic scattering based on orientation effects in which the liquid crystal remains transparent
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Abstract
The application relates to a liquid crystal microstructure modulating device, a control method and a preparation method thereof, wherein the liquid crystal microstructure modulating device comprises a top substrate, a vertical alignment film, a liquid crystal layer, a parallel alignment film and a bottom substrate, wherein the bottom substrate is opposite to the top substrate, the vertical alignment film is arranged at the bottom of the top substrate, the parallel alignment film is arranged at the top of the bottom substrate, the liquid crystal layer is positioned between the vertical alignment film and the parallel alignment film, one surface of the parallel alignment film is provided with a square lattice alignment pattern, the square lattice alignment pattern and the vertical alignment film enable liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer to self-assemble to form a controllable nematic phase and smectic phase liquid crystal microstructure, and the square lattice alignment pattern is provided with a preset initial azimuth alignment. The application realizes high-efficiency, high-resolution space and dynamic modulation of the optical phase by precisely controlling the microstructure of the liquid crystal, and effectively solves the problems of random frustration and morphological distortion in the self-assembly process of the liquid crystal.
Description
Technical Field
The application relates to the technical field of liquid crystal microstructure modulation, in particular to a liquid crystal microstructure modulation device, a control method and a preparation method thereof.
Background
Liquid crystal is used as a unique functional material, has both the fluidity of liquid and the physical anisotropy of crystal, and is widely applied as a large-scale parallel light valve in a liquid crystal display. The liquid crystal can also modulate the phase of light spatially and dynamically with high efficiency and high resolution, thus playing an indispensable role in the fields of all-optical interconnection, tunable lenses, laser radars and the like.
Recently, the self-assembly property of liquid crystals has received great attention. The structure of the liquid crystal determines its properties and applications, and by creating a more diverse, ordered, complex liquid crystal microstructure, novel optical effects can be introduced and advanced technology applications are driven. For example, by precisely controlling the initial orientation of the helical alignment of cholesteric liquid crystals, arbitrary modulation of the Bragg-Bei Li phase can be achieved, thereby achieving reflection phase modulation with specific circular polarization selectivity and designable frequency range. Furthermore, by predefining the microstructure of the double helix blue phase liquid crystal, this modulation can be extended even to three-dimensional space. The controllable generation of the liquid crystal microstructure provides an effective strategy for large-scale parallel and multidimensional optical operation, and has great significance for the front-edge technical fields of high-capacity optical communication, optical neural networks, enhancement/virtual reality and the like.
However, the self-assembly process of liquid crystals is often entropy driven, which can lead to random frustration and morphological distortion, making precise control of the liquid crystal microstructure challenging. Therefore, how to realize flexible control and customized generation of the liquid crystal microstructure in a low-cost and high-efficiency manner is still a problem to be solved.
Disclosure of Invention
In order to solve the above-mentioned defects, the present application provides a liquid crystal microstructure modulation device, a control method and a preparation method thereof.
The first object of the present application is achieved by the following technical solutions:
a liquid crystal microstructure modulation device comprises a top substrate, a vertical alignment film, a liquid crystal layer, a parallel alignment film and a bottom substrate, wherein the bottom substrate is arranged opposite to the top substrate;
The vertical alignment film is arranged at the bottom of the top substrate through coating, the parallel alignment film is arranged at the top of the bottom substrate through coating, the liquid crystal layer is positioned between the vertical alignment film and the parallel alignment film, and spacer particles are arranged between the vertical alignment film and the parallel alignment film;
The vertical alignment film enables molecular directors of liquid crystal molecules adjacent to the vertical alignment film in the liquid crystal layer to be arranged perpendicular to the vertical alignment film, one surface of the parallel alignment film, which is close to the liquid crystal layer, is provided with square lattice alignment patterns with the molecular directors arranged in a radial direction, the directors of the liquid crystal molecules adjacent to the parallel alignment film in the liquid crystal layer are enabled to be identical with the molecular directors of the square lattice alignment patterns, and under the combined action of the vertical alignment film and the parallel alignment film, the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer are self-assembled to form controllable nematic phase and smectic phase liquid crystal microstructures;
The square lattice orientation pattern is provided with a preset initial azimuth orientation.
By adopting the technical scheme, the application provides a liquid crystal microstructure modulating device, which is provided with a vertical alignment film and a parallel alignment film with an alignment pattern of square alignment lattices, and introduces azimuth alignment of a preset initial azimuth direction into the alignment pattern with the square alignment lattices, so that uncontrollable distortion of a microstructure in a liquid crystal entropy-driven self-assembly process is effectively overcome, the control of alignment of liquid crystal molecules is realized, the vertical alignment film enables adjacent liquid crystal molecule directors in a liquid crystal layer to be vertically arranged, the square lattice alignment pattern of the preset initial azimuth in the parallel alignment film ensures that the liquid crystal molecule directors are consistent with the pattern molecule directors, self-assembly of liquid crystal molecules is promoted, controllable nematic phase and smectic phase liquid crystal microstructures are formed, meanwhile, uniformity and stability of the liquid crystal layer are ensured through setting of spacer particles, the application effectively solves the problems of random fold and morphological distortion in the liquid crystal self-assembly process by precisely controlling the liquid crystal microstructures, provides a parallel and multidimensional effective operation strategy, has great significance for the realization of high-efficient optical communication scale and practical communication, and the like.
The application can be further configured in a preferred example that the square lattice orientation patterns are formed by closely arranging square lattice sub-patterns periodically along the row and column directions respectively.
By adopting the technical scheme, the square lattice orientation patterns are arranged in a periodic and compact manner along the row direction and the column direction respectively by the square lattice sub-patterns, and the arrangement mode provides an accurate orientation template for liquid crystal molecules, so that the liquid crystal molecules can be arranged according to a preset azimuth angle, and the accurate control of the liquid crystal microstructure is realized.
The present application may be further configured in a preferred example such that the molecular directors of the square lattice orientation pattern are radially distributed from center to boundary.
By adopting the technical scheme, the liquid crystal microstructure modulation device adopts a special square lattice orientation pattern, and is characterized in that molecular directors are radially distributed from the center to the boundary, and definite orientation guidance is provided for liquid crystal molecules, so that the liquid crystal molecules can be self-assembled according to a preset radial arrangement mode to form a highly ordered microstructure, and the radially arranged square lattice orientation pattern can not only influence the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules, but also play a key role in the formation and phase change process of a liquid crystal layer.
The application can be further configured in a preferred example that the centers of the square lattice sub-patterns in the square lattice orientation patterns are +1 topological singular points, the boundary points of the adjacent four square lattice sub-patterns in the square lattice orientation patterns form-1 topological singular points, and the molecules of the square lattice sub-patterns are distributed in a hyperbolic shape.
By adopting the technical scheme, in the liquid crystal microstructure modulation device, the square lattice orientation patterns have specific topological structure characteristics, wherein the center of each square lattice sub-pattern is a +1 topological singular point, a-1 topological singular point is formed at the junction point of every two adjacent square lattice sub-patterns, the distribution of the topological singular points causes the molecular directors to be distributed in hyperbolas in the square lattices, and the design of the topological structure characteristics utilizes the strong influence of the topological singular points on the orientation of liquid crystal molecules, so that the liquid crystal molecules can be effectively guided to carry out self-assembly according to a preset mode.
The present application may be further configured in a preferred example such that a side length of the square lattice sub-pattern in the square lattice orientation pattern is 30 μm.
By adopting the technical scheme, the liquid crystal microstructure modulation device adopts square lattice orientation patterns with specific sizes, wherein the side length of each square lattice sub-pattern is 30 mu m, and the side length of each square lattice sub-pattern is 30 mu m, so that an orientation unit with a moderate size is provided for liquid crystal molecules, not only is enough orientation precision ensured, but also microstructure regulation and optimization are allowed to be carried out in a certain range.
The present application may be further configured in a preferred example such that the thickness of the liquid crystal layer is 8.5 μm.
By adopting the technical scheme, the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in the liquid crystal microstructure modulation device is 8.5 mu m, and the liquid crystal layer under the thickness ensures the enough space for alignment and arrangement of liquid crystal molecules and ensures the stability and controllability of the microstructure.
The second object of the present application is achieved by the following technical solutions:
a control method of a liquid crystal microstructure modulation device comprises the following steps:
Introducing azimuth orientation into the square lattice orientation pattern, and presetting an initial azimuth direction to enable liquid crystal molecules adjacent to the parallel orientation film in the liquid crystal layer to generate distortion;
the liquid crystal microstructure modulation device is cooled to enable the liquid crystal layer to be converted into nematic phase from isotropic state, and the arrangement mode of liquid crystal molecules is controlled through the square lattice orientation pattern with a preset initial azimuth angle;
further cooling to a smectic phase, and forming a spiral toroidal Jiao Zhuichou array due to inhibition of distortion and deformation after phase change and symmetry damage;
By changing the direction of the initial azimuth angle, the toroidal Jiao Zhuichou array is degenerated from infinite rotational symmetry to quadruple rotational symmetry, thereby forming a controllable smectic phase microstructure.
According to the technical scheme, the control method of the liquid crystal microstructure modulation device is provided, the azimuth orientation is introduced into the square lattice orientation pattern, the initial azimuth direction is preset, the precise control of the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules is achieved, the liquid crystal molecules adjacent to the parallel orientation film in the liquid crystal layer are subjected to torsion deformation, the liquid crystal layer is then converted into a nematic phase from an isotropic state through cooling, the arrangement of the liquid crystal molecules is precisely guided by the preset square lattice orientation pattern, when the liquid crystal microstructure is further cooled to a smectic phase, the suppression of the torsion deformation and the symmetry destruction in the phase change process lead to the formation of a spiral toroidal Jiao Zhuichou array, and meanwhile, the initial azimuth direction is further changed, so that the symmetry of the toroidal Jiao Zhuichou array is degraded from infinite rotational symmetry to quadruple rotational symmetry, and a controllable smectic phase microstructure is formed.
The second object of the present application is achieved by the following technical solutions:
A preparation method of a liquid crystal microstructure modulation device comprises the following steps:
s1, forming the vertical orientation film on the bottom surface of the top substrate;
s2, forming the parallel orientation film on the top surface of the bottom substrate;
S3, carrying out orientation treatment on one surface of the parallel orientation film close to the liquid crystal layer to form a square lattice orientation pattern with molecular directors arranged in a radial direction;
S4, arranging the vertical orientation films and the parallel orientation films obtained in the S1 and the S3 oppositely, separating the vertical orientation films and the parallel orientation films through the spacer particles, and packaging the vertical orientation films and the parallel orientation films into a box;
S5, forming the liquid crystal layer under the isotropic phase between the vertical alignment film and the parallel alignment film in the box obtained in the S4, and obtaining the controllable nematic phase and smectic phase liquid crystal microstructure through multi-step temperature control treatment.
By adopting the technical scheme, the preparation method of the liquid crystal microstructure modulation device realizes the precise control of the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules, so as to prepare a liquid crystal microstructure with excellent performance, forms a vertical alignment film on the bottom surface of a top substrate to provide vertical arrangement guidance for the liquid crystal molecules, forms a parallel alignment film on the top surface of a bottom substrate, forms a square lattice alignment pattern with molecular directors arranged in a radial direction on the surface of the bottom substrate through alignment treatment to provide a specific arrangement mode for the liquid crystal molecules, oppositely sets the vertical alignment film and the parallel alignment film, separates the vertical alignment film from each other through spacer particles, encapsulates the vertical alignment film into a box, ensures the formation of a liquid crystal layer under isotropic phase in the box, realizes the controllable transformation of the liquid crystal microstructure of nematic phase and smectic phase through multi-step temperature control treatment, ensures the arrangement order of the liquid crystal molecules, realizes the optimization of the optical performance and diversity of the microstructure through precise regulation and control of the phase change process, and simultaneously simplifies the preparation process, reduces the manufacturing difficulty and the cost, and is beneficial to large-scale production and application.
In summary, the present application includes at least one of the following beneficial technical effects:
1. The application realizes the high-efficiency and high-resolution space and dynamic modulation of the optical phase through the precise control of the liquid crystal microstructure, effectively solves the problems of random frustration and morphological distortion in the liquid crystal self-assembly process, provides an effective strategy for large-scale parallel and multidimensional optical operation, and has important significance for the progress of the front technical fields of high-capacity optical communication, optical neural network, augmented/virtual reality and the like.
Drawings
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a liquid crystal microstructure modulation apparatus according to the present application;
FIG. 2 is a square lattice orientation pattern written in a parallel orientation film in an embodiment of a liquid crystal microstructure modulation apparatus according to the present application;
FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a control method of a liquid crystal microstructure modulation apparatus according to the present application;
FIG. 4 is a cross-polarization micrograph of a nematic microstructure produced by an embodiment of a control method of a liquid crystal microstructure modulation device according to the present application when the azimuth angle α=0°;
fig. 5 is an orthogonal polarization micrograph of a smectic phase microstructure produced when the azimuth angle α=0° in an embodiment of a control method of a liquid crystal microstructure modulation device of the present application;
fig. 6 is a square lattice orientation pattern of azimuth angles α=30°, α=60° and α=90° in an embodiment of a control method of a liquid crystal microstructure modulating device of the present application;
Fig. 7 is an orthogonal polarization micrograph of a nematic microstructure produced by the azimuth angles α=30°, α=60° and α=90° in an embodiment of a control method of a liquid crystal microstructure modulating apparatus according to the present application;
fig. 8 is an orthogonal polarization micrograph of a smectic phase microstructure produced by the azimuth angles α=30°, α=60° and α=90° in an embodiment of a control method of a liquid crystal microstructure modulating device of the present application;
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the variation of mask pattern in an embodiment of a method for controlling a liquid crystal microstructure modulation apparatus according to the present application;
fig. 10 is a preparation flow chart of a preparation method of a liquid crystal microstructure modulation apparatus according to the present application.
The reference numerals indicate 1, top substrate, 2, vertical alignment film, 3, liquid crystal layer, 4, parallel alignment film, 5, bottom substrate, 6, +1 topological singular points, 7, -1 topological singular points.
Detailed Description
The application is described in further detail below with reference to fig. 1-9.
In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 1, the application discloses a liquid crystal microstructure modulating device, which comprises a top substrate, a vertical alignment film, a liquid crystal layer, a parallel alignment film and a bottom substrate, wherein the bottom substrate is opposite to the top substrate; the vertical alignment film is arranged at the bottom of the top substrate by coating, the parallel alignment film is arranged at the top of the bottom substrate by coating, the liquid crystal layer is positioned between the vertical alignment film and the parallel alignment film, and spacer particles for supporting are arranged between the vertical alignment film and the parallel alignment film, so that the thickness of the liquid crystal layer is controlled to be 8.5 mu m; the vertical orientation film has vertical anchoring function on liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer, so that molecular directors of the liquid crystal molecules adjacent to the vertical orientation film in the liquid crystal layer are arranged perpendicular to the vertical orientation film, one surface of the parallel orientation film, which is close to the liquid crystal layer, is provided with square lattice orientation patterns with radial arrangement of the molecular directors, the square lattice orientation patterns have in-plane parallel anchoring function on the liquid crystal layer, so that the directors of the liquid crystal molecules adjacent to the parallel orientation film in the liquid crystal layer are identical with the molecular directors of the square lattice orientation patterns, wherein the square lattice orientation patterns can be obtained through friction orientation, photo-control orientation and the like, under the combined action of the vertical orientation film and the parallel orientation film, the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer self-assemble to form controllable nematic phase and smectic phase liquid crystal, wherein the square lattice orientation patterns are provided with preset initial azimuth orientations, azimuth orientations of the preset initial azimuth orientations are introduced into the orientation patterns with square arrangement lattices, uncontrollable entropy of microstructures in the liquid crystal driving self-assembly process is effectively overcome, control over the alignment of liquid crystal molecules is achieved.
In this embodiment, as shown in fig. 2, the square lattice orientation patterns of the parallel orientation film are formed by periodically and tightly arranging square lattice sub-patterns along the row and column directions respectively, wherein the side length of the square control pattern is 30 μm, the molecular directors of the square lattice orientation patterns are radially distributed from the center to the boundary, the center of the square lattice sub-patterns in the square lattice orientation patterns is +1 topological singular point 6, namely, the liquid crystal molecules on the path rotate clockwise by 360 degrees around the singular point center, the boundary points of the adjacent four square lattice sub-patterns in the square lattice orientation patterns form-1 topological singular points 7, namely, the liquid crystal molecules on the path rotate clockwise by 360 degrees around the singular point center, the molecules of the square lattice orientation patterns are hyperbolically distributed along the path, and the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal film are spontaneously nucleated and assembled by taking the +1 topological singular point 6 on the parallel orientation film as the boundary under the coaction of boundary anchoring energy and form a controllable phase-change nematic micro-phase structure periodically arranged along the row and column directions.
In one embodiment, a control method of a liquid crystal microstructure modulation apparatus is disclosed, as shown in fig. 3, including the steps of:
S10, introducing azimuth orientation into a square lattice orientation pattern, and presetting an initial azimuth direction to enable liquid crystal molecules adjacent to a parallel orientation film in a liquid crystal layer to generate distortion;
S20, cooling the liquid crystal microstructure modulation device to enable the liquid crystal layer to be converted into a nematic phase from an isotropic state, and controlling the arrangement mode of liquid crystal molecules through a square lattice orientation pattern with a preset initial azimuth angle;
S30, further cooling to a smectic phase, and forming a spiral toroidal Jiao Zhuichou array due to inhibition of distortion deformation and symmetry damage after phase change;
and S40, degrading the toroidal Jiao Zhuichou array from infinite rotational symmetry to quadruple rotational symmetry by changing the direction of the initial azimuth angle, so as to form the controllable smectic phase microstructure.
In this embodiment, as shown in fig. 4, when the azimuth angle α=0°, the liquid crystal layer is cooled from the isotropic state to the nematic phase at a cooling rate of 0.3 ℃ per minute by the temperature control process, the liquid crystal molecules will follow the guidance of the square lattice alignment pattern, and the undefined alignment of the liquid crystal molecules at the alignment irregularities will cause the formation of ±1 point defects, thereby forming a structural array in which ±1 point defects are alternately arranged in a periodically close arrangement along the row and column directions, and the formed point defect array completely follows the arrangement pattern of the preset alignment irregularities.
In this embodiment, as shown in fig. 5, when the azimuth angle α=0°, the smectic phase is further cooled to form an array of alternately arranged annular surfaces Jiao Zhuichou, wherein the radius of the single annular surface Jiao Zhuichou is controlled by a single square lattice sub-pattern in the square lattice orientation pattern, which is
In this embodiment, as shown in fig. 6, azimuthal orientation is introduced into a square lattice orientation pattern, and by presetting the initial azimuthal angles α=30°, α=60° and α=90° of the orientation lattice, the liquid crystal molecules are distorted, so that the arrangement manner of the liquid crystal molecules is effectively controlled.
In this embodiment, as shown in fig. 7, when azimuth angles α=30°, α=60° and α=90°, respectively, the liquid crystal is cooled from the isotropic state to the nematic phase by the temperature control process at a cooling rate of 0.3 ℃ per min, and the liquid crystal molecules follow the guidance of the patterned alignment substrate, so as to form a structural array in which ±1 point defects are alternately arranged in a periodic and close arrangement along the row and column directions, at this time, the arrangement manner of the liquid crystal molecules around the ±1 point defects is significantly changed, and the formed point defect array completely follows the arrangement manner of the preset alignment singular points, thereby controllably generating a novel nematic phase liquid crystal microstructure.
In this embodiment, as shown in fig. 8, when azimuth angles are α=30°, α=60° and α=90°, the temperature is further reduced to a smectic phase, the suppression of distortion and unique symmetry breaking after phase transformation form a spiral toroidal surface Jiao Zhuichou array, and by changing the direction of the initial azimuth angle, the toroidal surface Jiao Zhuichou is degraded from infinite rotational symmetry to quadruple rotational symmetry, thereby producing a controllable brand-new smectic phase microstructure.
In the embodiment, as shown in fig. 9, the parallel alignment film is subjected to alignment treatment to form a square lattice alignment pattern with specific liquid crystal molecule plane arrangement, wherein 36 masks are used, and a black area in each mask is a non-exposure area and a white area is an exposure area;
Selecting a first mask plate, setting the polarization direction of induced light to 90 degrees, wherein the polarization direction is 90 degrees, namely, rotating the row direction anticlockwise by the direction corresponding to 90 degrees to perform first exposure, selecting a second mask plate, setting the polarization direction of the induced light to 95 degrees to perform second exposure, sequentially selecting the mask plates according to the direction indicated by an arrow, setting the polarization direction of the induced light to be increased by 5 degrees every time the mask plates are replaced until the third sixteen mask plates are selected, setting the polarization direction of the induced light to 265 degrees, and performing thirty-sixth exposure;
After the mask performs the above alignment treatment on the alignment film, the parallel alignment film has square lattice alignment patterns formed by periodically arranging square control patterns along the row and column directions, wherein the liquid crystal directors in the single square lattice sub-patterns are radially distributed from the center to the boundary, and the liquid crystal directors and the vertical alignment film work together to enable the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal and polymer mixed layer to self-assemble to form a liquid crystal ring surface Jiao Zhuichou micro-lens array, so that a person skilled in the art can select the patterns of the mask and the exposure times according to actual conditions, as long as the liquid crystal directors of the single square control patterns in the alignment film can be radially distributed.
In one embodiment, a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal microstructure modulation apparatus is disclosed, as shown in fig. 10, including the steps of:
s1, forming the vertical orientation film on the bottom surface of the top substrate;
s2, forming the parallel orientation film on the top surface of the bottom substrate;
S3, carrying out orientation treatment on one surface of the parallel orientation film close to the liquid crystal layer to form a square lattice orientation pattern with molecular directors arranged in a radial direction;
S4, arranging the vertical orientation films and the parallel orientation films obtained in the S1 and the S3 oppositely, separating the vertical orientation films and the parallel orientation films through the spacer particles, and packaging the vertical orientation films and the parallel orientation films into a box;
S5, forming the liquid crystal layer under the isotropic phase between the vertical alignment film and the parallel alignment film in the box obtained in the S4, and obtaining the controllable nematic phase and smectic phase liquid crystal microstructure through multi-step temperature control treatment.
In this example, the vertical alignment film was a polydimethylsiloxane film, and before forming the vertical alignment film, ultrasonic cleaning was performed with a mixed reagent of acetone, alcohol, etc. for 30 minutes, and ultrasonic cleaning was performed with ultrapure water for 10 minutes each for 30 minutes, and after drying in a 120 ℃ oven for 40 minutes, UVO cleaning was performed for 30 minutes, in order to increase wettability and adhesiveness of polydimethylsiloxane with the top substrate;
Specifically, the process of forming the polydimethylsiloxane film comprises the steps of spin-coating a polydimethylsiloxane material on one side of a top substrate, spin-coating for 5 seconds at a low speed, wherein the rotation speed is 800r/min, spin-coating for 40 seconds at a high speed, the rotation speed is 8000r/min, and annealing the spin-coated substrate with the photo-alignment material for 20 minutes at the annealing temperature of 100 ℃ to form a vertical alignment film with the thickness of 100-200 nm.
In the embodiment, the parallel alignment film is a photo-alignment film, the photo-alignment film is made of acid azo dye 4,4 '-bis (4-hydroxy-3-carboxyl-phenylazo) benzidine-2, 2' -disulfonic acid, and ultrasonic cleaning is carried out for 30 minutes by using a mixed reagent such as acetone, alcohol and the like, ultrasonic cleaning is carried out for two times by using ultrapure water for 10 minutes each time before the photo-alignment film is formed, and UVO cleaning is carried out for 30 minutes after drying in a 120 ℃ oven for 40 minutes each time;
Specifically, spin-coating the photo-alignment material on one side of the base substrate, spin-coating for 5 seconds at a low speed, spin-coating for 40 seconds at a high speed at a speed of 800 r/min, and annealing the spin-coated base substrate for 10 minutes at a temperature of 100 ℃ to form the photo-alignment film, wherein the thickness of the photo-alignment film can be 30 nm-50 nm.
In this embodiment, the spacer is a silica pellet, in order to avoid the silica pellet falling into the central region of the liquid crystal cell and affecting the assembly of the annular focal conic domain structure, the silica pellet is mixed into the uv curable adhesive and coated on the inner edge of the substrate in a small amount, and after the top substrate and the bottom substrate are oppositely packaged, the uv irradiation is used to irradiate the uv curable adhesive coating area to achieve curing.
It should be understood that the sequence number of each step in the foregoing embodiment does not mean that the execution sequence of each process should be determined by the function and the internal logic, and should not limit the implementation process of the embodiment of the present application.
The foregoing embodiments are merely illustrative of the technical solutions of the present application, and not restrictive, and although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that modifications may still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments or equivalent substitutions of some technical features thereof, and that such modifications or substitutions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.
Claims (8)
1. A liquid crystal microstructure modulation device, characterized in that:
The liquid crystal display device comprises a top substrate (1), a vertical alignment film (2), a liquid crystal layer (3), a parallel alignment film (4) and a bottom substrate (5), wherein the bottom substrate (5) is arranged opposite to the top substrate (1);
The vertical alignment film (2) is arranged at the bottom of the top substrate (1) through coating, the parallel alignment film (4) is arranged at the top of the bottom substrate (5) through coating, the liquid crystal layer (3) is positioned between the vertical alignment film (2) and the parallel alignment film (4), and spacer particles are arranged between the vertical alignment film (2) and the parallel alignment film (4);
the vertical alignment film (2) enables molecular directors of liquid crystal molecules adjacent to the vertical alignment film (2) in the liquid crystal layer (3) to be arranged perpendicular to the vertical alignment film (2), one surface of the parallel alignment film (4) close to the liquid crystal layer (3) is provided with square lattice alignment patterns with the molecular directors arranged in a radial direction, the directors of the liquid crystal molecules adjacent to the parallel alignment film (4) in the liquid crystal layer (3) are identical to the molecular directors of the square lattice alignment patterns, and the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer (3) are self-assembled to form controllable nematic phase and smectic phase liquid crystal microstructures under the combined action of the vertical alignment film (2) and the parallel alignment film (4);
The square lattice orientation pattern is provided with a preset initial azimuth orientation.
2. A liquid crystal microstructure modulation device according to claim 1, wherein:
the square lattice orientation patterns are formed by periodically and tightly arranging square lattice sub-patterns along the row direction and the column direction respectively.
3. A liquid crystal microstructure modulation device according to claim 1, wherein:
the molecular directors of the square lattice orientation patterns are radially distributed from the center to the boundary.
4. A liquid crystal microstructure modulation device according to claim 3, wherein:
The centers of the square lattice sub-patterns in the square lattice orientation patterns are +1 topological singular points (6), the boundary points of the adjacent four square lattice sub-patterns in the square lattice orientation patterns form-1 topological singular points (7), and molecules of the square lattice sub-patterns are distributed in a hyperbolic shape.
5. A liquid crystal microstructure modulation device according to claim 2, wherein:
The side length of the square lattice sub-pattern in the square lattice orientation pattern is 30 mu m.
6. A liquid crystal microstructure modulation device according to claim 1, wherein:
the thickness of the liquid crystal layer (3) is 8.5 μm.
7. The method for controlling a liquid crystal microstructure modulation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising the steps of:
Introducing azimuth orientation into the square lattice orientation pattern, and presetting an initial azimuth direction so that liquid crystal molecules adjacent to the parallel orientation film (4) in the liquid crystal layer (3) generate distortion;
The liquid crystal microstructure modulation device is cooled to enable the liquid crystal layer (3) to be converted into nematic phase from isotropic state, and the arrangement mode of liquid crystal molecules is controlled through the square lattice orientation pattern with a preset initial azimuth angle;
further cooling to a smectic phase, and forming a spiral toroidal Jiao Zhuichou array due to inhibition of distortion and deformation after phase change and symmetry damage;
By changing the direction of the initial azimuth angle, the toroidal Jiao Zhuichou array is degenerated from infinite rotational symmetry to quadruple rotational symmetry, thereby forming a controllable smectic phase microstructure.
8. The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal microstructure modulation apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, comprising the steps of:
s1, forming the vertical orientation film (2) on the bottom surface of the top substrate (1);
s2, forming the parallel orientation film (4) on the top surface of the bottom substrate (5);
S3, carrying out orientation treatment on one surface of the parallel orientation film (4) close to the liquid crystal layer (3) to form a square lattice orientation pattern with molecular directors arranged radially;
S4, arranging the vertical orientation films (2) and the parallel orientation films (4) obtained in the S1 and the S3 oppositely, separating the vertical orientation films by the spacer particles, and packaging the vertical orientation films and the parallel orientation films into a box;
S5, forming the liquid crystal layer (3) under the isotropic phase between the vertical alignment film (2) and the parallel alignment film (4) in the box obtained in the S4, and obtaining the controllable nematic phase and smectic phase liquid crystal microstructure through multi-step temperature control treatment.
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