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An improved analysis technique to determine the wavelength dispersion of refractive indices based on renormalized transmission spectroscopic ellipsometry was demonstrated. Twelve device parameters, including cell gap, twist angle, and rotation angle, nine Cauchy coefficients for birefringence, and refractive indices for ordinary and extraordinary rays are determined in a three-step manner. The refractive index for an ordinary ray at the wavelength λ=589.0 nm, which is measured by using an Abbe refractometer, is substituted as an original refractive index to guarantee the accuracy of the analysis for the absolute value of refractive indices. Compared with our previous technique, this analysis procedure is more simplified; as a result, the reproducibility and applicability were remarkably enhanced.

We have recently reported on a method that utilizes a slit coater as a novel liquid crystal alignment technique. We carried out this study under two ultraviolet (UV) irradiation conditions, viz., (i) UV irradiation from the side of a glass substrate (exposure type 1) and (ii) UV irradiation from the side of the air–liquid crystal interface (exposure type 2), and investigated the electro-optical characteristics and azimuthal anchoring energy of liquid crystal sample cells performed under these two UV irradiation conditions.

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