Method of producing nematic liquid-crystal devices

1. A method of making a liquid crystal alignment layer for bistable nematic liquid-crystal devices, comprising:

placing two confinement plates respectively on both sides of a nematic liquid crystal layer, said liquid crystal alignment layer having a strong azimuthal anchoring energy for the liquid crystal layer over at least one of its confinement plates, and having on the same confinement plate a low zenithal anchoring energy so as to allow switching between two states corresponding to bistability;

depositing, on a substrate completely free of any previously deposited alignment layer, a polymer or a copolymer or a terpolymer chosen from the polymers or copolymers derived from poly(vinyl chloride-co-vinyl alkyl ether) or from poly(vinyl chloride-co-vinyl aryl ether);

stabilizing this polymer coating, the stabilization comprising at least one thermal annealing step making the polymer deposit non soluble in the liquid crystal material and to preserve the anchoring properties of the polymer deposit; and

defining an azimuthal orientation of the coating for inducing a strong and controlled azimuthal anchoring of the liquid crystal, the zenithal anchoring having a critical electric field of breaking the anchoring below 10 v/μm, the azimuthal anchoring having an extrapolation length lying in the range of 50 nm to 200 nm, the liquid crystal containing no additive operating on the anchoring properties, wherein all the treatment steps are chosen in order to define a controlled and stable pretilt of the orientation of the nematic liquid crystal lying in the range between 0°and 1°.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the polymers or copolymers are derivatives of vinyl chloride and vinyl ether of formula I:

in which R represents a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl or aryl radical; n and m may vary from greater than 0 to 1.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 or 2 , wherein the copolymers consist of vinyl chloride and vinyl isobutyl ether of formula II:

4. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the polymer is a poly(vinyl chloride-co-vinyl isobutyl ether) copolymer.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the polymer is a terpolymer based on poly(vinyl chloride)/poly(vinyl isobutyl ether) and on another comonomer derived from vinyl alcohol.

6. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the stabilization involves exposure to ultraviolet light.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the stabilization uses one or more annealing operations carried out before and/or after an exposure to ultraviolet light.

8. The method as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the one or more annealing operations are carried out at temperatures below the melting point (T m ) of the polymer.

9. The method as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the exposure step is carried out using ultraviolet light having a wavelength of between 180 and 380 nm.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the step defining a controlled azimuthal anchoring of the liquid crystal is ensured by the fact that said polymer is rubbed with a textile-covered roller.

11. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein all the treatment steps are chosen in order to define a controlled and stable pretilt of the orientation of the nematic, with values between 0.1° and 0.5°.

12. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the polymer is deposited on the substrate by spin coating.

13. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the polymer is deposited on the substrate by flex printing.

14. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the polymer is deposited in solution in a solvent based on a ketone.

15. A bistable nematic liquid-crystal device using at least one liquid crystal alignment layer produced by a method as claimed in claim 1 .

16. The device as claimed in claim 15 , further comprising an electrode on which is deposited the liquid crystal alignment layer.

17. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein n and m values are such that 0.5<n<0.8 and 0.2<m<0.5.