Abstract: A method of aligning liquid crystals in a cell includes the steps of optimizing the concentration of the liquid crystal in a carrier medium, transforming the liquid crystal into its isotropic phase; heating the cell to a temperature which is slightly lower than the temperature of the liquid crystal, filling the cell with the liquid crystal, rapidly cooling the filled cell to transform the liquid crystal into the nematic phase and rewarming the cell to a temperature approximately at the phase line separating the nematic phase from the mixed nematic nematic-isotropic phase. An improved alignment surface for forming the cell comprises an uncoated, rubbed surface to drive uniform alignment of the liquid crystals.