The correlation between electron density and anchoring strength in the inorganic vertical alignment layer

The relationship between the liquid crystal (LC) alignment and the density of the silicon oxide alignment layer was studied by theoretical and experimental approaches. The thin films were deposited by various methods and conditions, and then their densities were analyzed by x-ray reflectivity measurement. The alignment of LC was highly dependent on their densities, which we found to be closely related to the number of interacting dipoles. Ultimately, a-SiOx thin film with lower density gives rise to the uniform vertical alignment of liquid crystal.