Micro- and nanostructures for the spatially periodic orientation of liquid crystals obtained by focused ion beam milling

Abstract

Micro- and nanostructured surfaces creating spatially periodic boundary conditions of the alignment of nematic liquid crystals in two mutually orthogonal directions perpendicular and parallel to the surface are obtained by focused ion beam milling. It is shown that ion milling provides an easy axis along the normal and sufficiently strong anchoring energy. The value of this energy can noticeably exceed the energy of the planar anchoring of liquid crystals with typical orienting surfaces on the basis of polymer films. Using the numerical simulation, the anchoring energy values necessary for an implementation of a deep modulation of the director field with a spatial period of hundreds of nanometers are determined, which is important for creation of photonic liquid-crystal systems.