Abstract: The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of a polymeric relief structure by a) coating a substrate with a first coating composition comprising one or more radiation-sensitive ingredients, d) locally treating the coated substrate with electromagnetic radiation having a periodic or random radiation-intensity pattern, forming a latent image, e) polymerizing and/or crosslinking the resulting coated substrate to a first coating. This process is improved by applying a second coating composition on top of the first coating composition, said second coating composition comprising either an organic compound (Co) of a monomeric nature and wherein Co is also polymerized during the process, or wherein said second coating comprises a dissolved polymer (Cp). As a result a polymeric relief structure is obtained, where a substrate is coated with a functional, stacked, bi-layer, in which each layer exhibits a specific, and from each other differing function.

Abstract: The invention pertains to an alignment layer capable of aligning liquid crystal material, the alignment layer comprising: a first sublayer having regions capable of aligning the liquid crystal material in a first alignment, a second sublayer having regions capable of aligning the liquid crystal material in a second alignment, the first and the second alignment being different, the second sublayer overlaying the first sublayer and covering in accordance with a pre-determined pattern the first sublayer to provide, at desired locations, second sublayer regions capable of aligning the liquid crystal material and, at desired locations, regions of the underlying first sublayer that are not covered by the second sublayer, and to a method of making this alignment layer. The invention further relates to an optical or electro-optical device comprising said alignment layer.