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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
A technique for producing surface-induced liquid crystal nematic alignment is presented. The alignment film is a simple, inexpensive polyamide-imide, which is treated with linearly polarized short wavelength ultraviolet radiation (λ = 254 nm). The alignment performance of UV-aligned layers is shown by optical transmission of the liquid crystal cells to be comparable to that of brushed layers. Strong alignment is produced within minutes of UV exposure and is maintained with long exposures.