Liquid crystal display device and method of manufacturing the same

1. A liquid crystal display device (LCD) comprising:

a base;

an alignment inducing layer on the base and comprising a first compound represented by formula A1 or a polymer of the first compound; and

a liquid crystal layer on the alignment inducing layer and comprising liquid crystals:

where R 1 is hydrogen or a polymenzable group,

R 2 is a monovalent hydrophilic group selected from

SP 1 is a single bond, a C 1 -C 12 alkylene group, or a C 1 -C 12 alkoxylene group,

SP 2 is a single bond, a C 3 -C 12 alkylene group, or a C 1 -C 12 alkoxylene group,

Z is a single bond, an ester group, or an ether group, and

X 1 , X 2 and X 3 are each independently hydrogen, a methyl group, fluorine, or chlorine.

2. The LCD of claim 1 , wherein the alignment inducing layer further comprises a second compound represented by formula B1 or a polymer of the second compound:

where R 1 , R 2 , SP 1 , SP 2 , Z, X 1 , X 2 , and X 3 are each independently the same as defined in formula A1.

3. The LCD of claim 2 , wherein the solubility of the second compound in the liquid crystals is less than about 0.01% by weight.

4. The LCD of claim 1 ,

wherein the alignment inducing layer is in contact with the liquid crystal layer to induce pretilt of the liquid crystals, and

the liquid crystals have negative dielectric anisotropy.

5. The LCD of claim 4 ,

wherein R 2 of the first compound or the polymer of the first compound is aligned toward the base, and

R 1 of the first compound or the polymer of the first compound is aligned toward the liquid crystal layer.

6. The LCD of claim 5 , wherein R 1 is a polymerizable group,

a plurality of pixels are defined, and

each pixel comprises a first domain and a second domain having different pretilt directions of the liquid crystals,

wherein a planar direction of *—SP 1 —R 1 of the first compound in the alignment inducing layer in the first domain is different from a planar direction of the polymerizable group of the first compound, in the alignment inducing layer in the second domain.

7. The LCD of claim 1 , wherein a plurality of pixels are defined, and

each pixel comprises a first domain and a fourth domain having the same tilt direction of the liquid crystals,

wherein the liquid crystals in the first domain have a pretilt toward the center of the pixel, and

the liquid crystals in the fourth domain have a pretilt toward the periphery of the pixel.

8. The LCD of claim 1 , wherein the alignment inducing layer further comprises a third compound represented by formula C1 or a polymer of the third compound,

wherein the content of the first compound is greater than that of the third compound:

where R 1 , R 2 , SP 1 , SP 2 , Z, X 1 , X 2 , and X 3 are the same as defined in formula A1.

9. The LCD of claim 1 , further comprising a first field generating electrode between the base and the alignment inducing layer, and wherein a plurality of pixels are defined, and

each pixel comprises a plurality of domains having different tilt directions of the liquid crystals,

wherein the first field generating electrode does not have domain division portions.

10. A method of manufacturing an LCD, the method comprising:

forming a pre-alignment inducing layer on a base and a liquid crystal layer comprising liquid crystals on the pre-alignment inducing layer; and

irradiating the pre-alignment inducing layer with light having a first peak wavelength,

wherein the pre-alignment inducing layer comprises a second compound represented by formula B1:

where R 1 is a polymerizable group, R 2 is a monovalent hydrophilic group selected from

SP 1 is a single bond, a C 1 -C 12 alkylene group, or a C 1 -C 12 alkoxylene group,

SP 2 is a single bond, a C 3 -C 12 alkylene group, or a C 1 -C 12 alkoxylene group,

Z is a single bond, an ester group, or an ether group, and

X 1 , X 2 and X 3 are each independently hydrogen, a methyl group, fluorine or chlorine,

wherein in the irradiating of the pre-alignment inducing layer with light having a first peak wavelength,

at least a portion of the second compound is converted into a first compound represented by formula A1 to form an alignment inducing layer:

where R 1 , R 2 , SP 1 , SP 2 , Z, X 1 , X 2 , and X 3 are the same as defined in the formula B1.

11. The method of claim 10 ,

wherein the forming of the pre-alignment inducing layer and the liquid crystal layer comprises:

providing a liquid crystal composition, which comprises liquid crystals having negative dielectric anisotropy and the second compound, on the base,

wherein the content of the second compound is about 0.05% to about 1.0% by weight based on a total weight of the liquid crystal composition.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the forming of the pre-alignment inducing layer and the liquid crystal layer comprises:

providing a liquid crystal composition, which comprises liquid crystals and the second compound, on the base,

forming the pre-alignment inducing layer through phase-separation of at least a portion of the second compound of the liquid crystal composition and self-alignment of the second compound on the base, and

forming the liquid crystal layer, in which the liquid crystals are vertically aligned, on the pre-alignment inducing layer.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein in the providing of the liquid crystal composition on the base,

the second compound is substantially uniformly dispersed in the liquid crystal composition, and

the solubility of the second compound in the liquid crystals is less than about 0.01% by weight.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein in the irradiating of the pre-alignment inducing layer with light having a first peak wavelength,

when the at least a portion of the second compound is converted into the first compound represented by formula A1 to form the alignment inducing layer, a pretilt is formed in the liquid crystals in the liquid crystal layer.

15. The method of claim 10 , wherein the first peak wavelength falls within the range of about 450 nm to about 550 nm.

16. The method of claim 10 , further comprising irradiating the alignment inducing layer with light having a second peak wavelength shorter than the first peak wavelength after the irradiating of the pre-alignment inducing layer with the light having the first peak wavelength,

wherein the liquid crystal layer further comprises a reactive mesogen compound dispersed in the liquid crystals in the irradiating of the pre-alignment inducing layer with the light having the first peak wavelength.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein in the irradiating of the alignment inducing layer with the light having the second peak wavelength,

at least a portion of the first compound, at least a portion of the second compound, and/or at least a portion of the reactive mesogen compound form a polymer.

18. The method of claim 10 , wherein the irradiating of the pre-alignment inducing layer with the light having the first peak wavelength comprises:

irradiating a first oblique light having an inclination to a first region of the pre-alignment inducing layer, and

irradiating a second oblique light having an inclination in a direction different from that of the inclination of the first oblique light to a second region of the pre-alignment inducing layer.

19. The method of claim 10 , wherein the irradiating of the light having the first peak wavelength comprises:

irradiating a first polarized light to a first region of the pre-alignment inducing layer, and

irradiating a second polarized light having a different polarization direction from the first polarized light to a second region of the pre-alignment inducing layer.