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G. E. Nevskaya¹, M. G. Tomilin², V. G. Chigrinov³

Author affiliations
¹St.Petersburg State Marine Technical University,
3, Lotsmanskaya Str., St.Petersburg, 190008 Russia
²Saint Petersburg State University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics
197101, Saint-Petersburg, Kronverkskij prospect, 49
³The Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, China

Abstract
The present-day methods of reproducible liquid crystals (LC) orientation on the surface of substrate as the most complicated operation in LC instruments manufacturing are observed. The main attention is devoted to the light induced method of orientation and analysis of its physical mechanisms: photochemical cis-trans isomerization in azo-dye; photophysical reorientation of the azo-dye chromophore molecules or molecular solvates; photochemical crosslinking in side-chain polymers; photodegradation in polyimide materials. The description of atomic-force, scanning tunnel and confocal microscopy application to analysis of LCs orientation in the volume and its dynamics is presented.

Keywords: rubbing, oblique evaporation, light induced orientation, cis-trans isomerization, photochemical cross-linking, atomic-force, scanning tunnel and confocal microscopy