A beam shaping system including an all-optical liquid crystal beam shaper, the beam shaper including a photoswitchable alignment material including at least one of a PESI-F, SPMA:MMA 1:5, SPMA:MMA 1:9, ora SOMA:SOMA-p:MMA 1:1:6 material, at least some of the liquid crystals of the beam shaper including at least one of a phenylcyclohexane, cyclo-cyclohexane, or a perfluorinated material.

A compound represented by the General Formula (I) as defined herein, in which, in the General Formula (I), P.sup.1 and P.sup.2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom, —CN, —NCS, or a polymerizable group, Sp.sup.1 and Sp.sup.2 each independently represent a single bond or a divalent linking group as defined herein, Z.sup.1, Z.sup.2 and Z.sup.3 each independently represent a particular linking group as defined herein, X.sup.1 and X.sup.2 each independently represent a single bond or —S as defined herein, k represents an integer of 2 to 4, m and n each independently represent an integer of 0 to 3 as defined herein, A.sup.1, A.sup.2, A.sup.3, and A.sup.4 each independently represent a particular group as defined herein is provided.

The present invention is to provide an appropriate configuration of a VUV polarizer that can be used for such a process as photo-alignment. The VUV polarizer can polarize VUV light not more than 200 nm in wavelength, and has a substrate transparent to the VUV light and a grid on the substrate. The grid is formed of a lot of linear parts in parallel and structured with no filler between the linear parts. A material of each linear part is an oxide of a Group 3 element or Group 4 element, and makes PE not less than 0.2 under an optical constant combination making PE maximum in the VUV range, where PE=T.sup.2×log.sub.10(ER), T is the transmittance of the grid, and ER is the extinction ratio of the grid. A workpiece is subjected to a photo-alignment processing by irradiation of VUV polarized light emitting from the VUV polarizer.

A liquid crystal display capable of reducing the occurrence of defective display due to variations in the initial alignment direction of a liquid crystal alignment control film in a liquid crystal display of an IPS scheme, realizing the stable liquid crystal alignment, providing excellent mass productivity, and having high image quality with a higher contrast ratio. The liquid crystal display has a liquid crystal layer disposed between a pair of substrates, at least one of the substrates being transparent, and an alignment control film formed between the liquid crystal layer and the substrate. At least one of the alignment control films 109 comprises photoreactive polyimide and/or polyamic acid provided with an alignment control ability by irradiation of substantially linearly polarized light.

Soft-imprint alignment processes for patterning liquid crystal polymer layers via contact with a reusable alignment template are described herein. An example soft-imprint alignment process includes contacting a liquid crystal polymer layer with a reusable alignment template that has a desired surface alignment pattern such that the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal polymer are aligned to the surface alignment pattern via chemical, steric, or other intermolecular interaction. The patterned liquid crystal polymer layer may then be polymerized and separated from the reusable alignment template. The process can be repeated many times. The reusable alignment template may include a photo-alignment layer that does not comprise surface relief structures that correspond to the surface alignment pattern and a release layer above this photo-alignment layer. A reusable alignment template and methods of fabricating the same are also disclosed.

An object is to provide a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal layer in which an alignment film is repeatedly used and a liquid crystal compound in a liquid crystal layer can be sufficiently aligned. The method of manufacturing a liquid crystal layer includes: an alignment film forming step of forming an alignment film on a support; a liquid crystal alignment layer alignment step of laminating a first liquid crystal composition including a polymerizable liquid crystal compound on the alignment film and aligning the first liquid crystal composition; a liquid crystal alignment layer forming step of polymerizing the aligned first liquid crystal composition to form a liquid crystal alignment layer; a liquid crystal layer alignment step of laminating a second liquid crystal composition including a polymerizable liquid crystal compound on a surface of the liquid crystal alignment layer opposite to the alignment film and aligning the second liquid crystal composition; a liquid crystal layer forming step of polymerizing the aligned second liquid crystal composition to form a liquid crystal layer; and a liquid crystal layer separation step of separating the formed liquid crystal layer from the liquid crystal alignment layer, in which the liquid crystal layer alignment step to the liquid crystal layer separation step are repeated to repeatedly prepare the liquid crystal layer.

An object is to provide a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal layer in which an alignment film is repeatedly used and a liquid crystal compound in a liquid crystal layer can be sufficiently aligned. The method of manufacturing a liquid crystal layer includes: an alignment film forming step of forming an alignment film on a support; a liquid crystal alignment film alignment step of laminating a first liquid crystal composition including a polymerizable liquid crystal compound on the alignment film and aligning the first liquid crystal composition; a liquid crystal alignment layer forming step of polymerizing the aligned first liquid crystal composition to form a liquid crystal alignment layer; a peeling step of laminating and immobilizing a surface of the liquid crystal alignment layer opposite to the alignment film on an adherend and peeling the liquid crystal alignment layer from the alignment film at an interface between the liquid crystal alignment layer and the alignment film; a liquid crystal layer alignment step of laminating a second liquid crystal composition including a polymerizable liquid crystal compound on a surface of the liquid crystal alignment layer from which the alignment film is peeled off and aligning the second liquid crystal composition; a liquid crystal layer forming step of polymerizing the aligned second liquid crystal composition to form a liquid crystal layer; and a liquid crystal layer separation step of separating the formed liquid crystal layer from the liquid crystal alignment layer, in which the liquid crystal layer alignment step to the liquid crystal layer separation step are repeated to repeatedly prepare the liquid crystal layer.

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical laminate in which optically anisotropic layers exhibiting reverse wavelength dispersibility have excellent moisture-heat resistance, and the adhesiveness between a first optically anisotropic layer and a second optically anisotropic layer is excellent; and a polarizing plate and an image display device, each using the optical laminate. The optical laminate according to an embodiment of the present invention is an optical laminate having a first optically anisotropic layer and a second optically anisotropic layer, in which both of the first optically anisotropic layer and the second optically anisotropic layer are directly laminated and consist of a liquid crystal layer, at least one of the first optically anisotropic layer or the second optically anisotropic layer exhibits reverse wavelength dispersibility, a photo-alignment polymer having a photo-alignment group and a fluorine atom or a silicon atom is present on a surface of the second optically anisotropic layer on a side in contact with the first optically anisotropic layer, and an element ratio of fluorine or silicon on the surface of the second optically anisotropic layer on the side in contact with the first optically anisotropic layer is 0.05% to 15.00% by atom.

The present disclosure relates to a liquid crystal alignment agent composition including: a polymer for liquid crystal alignment agent and a crosslinker compound in which a terminal crosslinking functional group is capped with a silicon-containing thermally removable protecting group, wherein a change in the number of particles during storage is lower than a certain level, a method for preparing a liquid crystal alignment film using the liquid crystal alignment agent composition, and a liquid crystal alignment film and a liquid crystal display device using the liquid crystal alignment agent film.

An object of the invention is to provide a photo-alignment copolymer capable of improving upper layer coatability after layer formation, a binder composition, a binder layer, an optical laminate, and an image display device. A photo-alignment copolymer according to the embodiment of the invention has a repeating unit A including a photo-alignment group, a repeating unit B including a crosslinkable group which causes a crosslinking reaction by the action of at least one selected from the group consisting of light, heat, an acid, and a base, and a repeating unit C including a cleaving group which decomposes by the action of at least one selected from the group consisting of light, heat, an acid, and a base to produce a polar group, and the repeating unit C has the cleaving group on a side chain, and has a group of atoms which is provided on a side closer to a terminal than the cleaving group on the side chain to be able to unevenly distribute the photo-alignment copolymer on an air interface side.