Abstract: Display panels and methods for fabrication are disclosed for an in-plane switching mode display to reduce or eliminate image sticking. The display panel includes a substrate with a first electrode formed on the substrate. A dielectric layer is formed on the substrate, and the dielectric layer forms an opening down to the first electrode so that the dielectric layer is eliminated over the first electrode. A second electrode is formed on the dielectric layer, and an alignment layer is formed on the first electrode, the second electrode and the dielectric layer.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device includes an alignment layer with constituent materials. The constituent materials have a stoichiometric relationship configured to provide a given pretilt angle. Liquid crystal material is provided in contact with the alignment layer. A method for forming an alignment layer for liquid crystal displays includes forming the alignment layer on a substrate by introducing an amount of material to adjust a stoichiometric ratio of constituent materials wherein the amount is determined to provide a given pretilt angle to the alignment layer. Ions are directed at the alignment layer to provide uniformity of the pretilt angle.

Abstract: A self-alignment process for the precise alignment in a deposited diamond-like carbon (DLC), which results in a wider viewing angle for the display being manufactured. The process involves ion bombardment, which is swept across the liquid crystal panel in a two-pass process. In one embodiment, both ion sweeps are aligned at a 45-degree angle with respect to the bottom edge of the panel. The first pass is accomplished without any electrical bias on the panel. During the first pass the impinging ions may be at an angle with respect to a point on a plane defined by the surface of the panel that is less than 90 degrees. The second ion sweep is accomplished with the impinging ions at a second angle, greater than 90 degrees up to 180 degrees with respect to the point on the plane defined by the surface.

Abstract: A method for preparing an alignment layer surface provides a surface on the alignment layer. The surface is bombarded with ions, and reactive gas is introduced to the ion beam to saturate dangling bonds on the surface. Another method for preparing an alignment layer surface provides a surface on the alignment layer. The surface is bombarded with ions and quenched with a reactive component to saturate dangling bonds on the surface.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device has first and second substrates, a first electrode layer overlying one surface of the first substrate, and a second electrode layer overlying one surface of the second substrate. A first alignment layer having a thickness of 100 Å or less overlies the first electrode layer, and a second alignment layer overlies the second electrode layer, and a liquid crystal material is disposed between the alignment layers. In one preferred embodiment, the second alignment layer also has a thickness of 100 Å or less, and each alignment layers is a polyimide layer. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device is also provided. According to the method, first and second substrates are provided, a first electrode layer is deposited over the first substrate, and a second electrode layer is deposited over the second substrate.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for forming an alignment layer for use in a liquid crystal cell layer for use in a liquid crystal cell using an ion beam source that includes the steps of: (1) providing a substrate having a surface; (2) providing an ion beam source that emanates an ion beam; (3) providing a mask layer disposed between the substrate surface and the ion beam source. The mask layer has at least two openings disposed between the ion beam source and the substrate surface. The shape and position of the openings reduce the irregularity of the beam exposure in a border region on the surface of the substrate resulting from the ion beam source. The present invention may be used in conjunction with substrate treatment using multiple sweeps with a single ion beam source, or with a substrate treatment using a single sweep with multiple ion beam sources. Also disclosed is an apparatus for practicing the disclosed method.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for forming an alignment layer for use in a liquid crystal cell layer for use in a liquid crystal cell using an ion beam source that includes the steps of: (1) providing a substrate having a surface; (2) providing an ion beam source that emanates an ion beam; (3) providing a mask layer disposed between the substrate surface and the ion beam source. The mask layer has at least two openings disposed between the ion beam source and the substrate surface. The shape and position of the openings reduce the irregularity of the beam exposure in a border region on the surface of the substrate resulting from the ion beam source. The present invention may be used in conjunction with substrate treatment using multiple sweeps with a single ion beam source, or with a substrate treatment using a single sweep with multiple ion beam sources. Also disclosed is an apparatus for practicing the disclosed method.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display device has first and second substrates, a first electrode layer overlying one surface of the first substrate, and a second electrode layer overlying one surface of the second substrate. A first alignment layer having a thickness of 100 Å or less overlies the first electrode layer, and a second alignment layer overlies the second electrode layer, and a liquid crystal material is disposed between the alignment layers. In one preferred embodiment, the second alignment layer also has a thickness of 100 Å or less, and each alignment layers is a polyimide layer. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device is also provided. According to the method, first and second substrates are provided, a first electrode layer is deposited over the first substrate, and a second electrode layer is deposited over the second substrate.

Abstract: A liquid crystal display cell is includes a first substrate; a second substrate; a liquid crystal layer of liquid crystal molecules disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; a first alignment layer disposed between the first substrate and the liquid crystal layer; and a second alignment layer disposed between the second substrate and the liquid crystal layer; wherein a surface of at least one alignment layer is bombarded by a particle beam of an adjustable energy using a voltage less than 200 V so that the liquid crystal molecules proximate the surface are induced to a predetermined pretilt angle.

Abstract: A method of generating a patterned alignment direction on an alignment surface for a liquid crystal display cell is described. The cell is formed by forming a first alignment direction on an alignment surface, such as a polyimide surface of the cell. A second alignment direction is formed on the alignment surface. The first and second alignment directions are formed by a variety of sequences of treatments. An example of a first sequence is a first step of rubbing the alignment surface and thereafter a second step of selectively exposing (preferably using a mask) the alignment surface to a treatment selected from the group of exposure to electromagnetic radiation and exposure to a particle beam. Another example of a sequence is a first step of exposing the alignment surface to a treatment selected from the group of electromagnetic radiation and a particle beam thereafter selectively exposing (preferably through a mask) the alignment surface to another particle beam.

Abstract: Bombardment of the surface of a substrate with a film layer is used to create alignment layers for liquid crystal displays. By using bombardment of the surface at an angle, both direct creation of the alignment layer or indirect deposition of the alignment layer material onto a glass plate can be achieved.

Abstract: The present invention is a method for forming a liquid-crystal cell of a liquid-crystal display. Initially, a dry processed alignment film is deposited onto a first transparent substrate using a dry processing technique, such as plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The dry processed alignment film is then irradiated with a beam of atoms to arrange the atomic structure of the alignment film in at least one desired direction in order to orient the liquid-crystal molecules. Another dry processed alignment film is deposited on a second substrate using a dry processing technique and, likewise, irradiated with a beam of atoms. The first transparent substrate and the second substrate are then sandwiched together with their respective alignment films spaced adjacent to each other. The space between the films is then filled with a liquid-crystal material.

Abstract: Superconducting transition metal oxide films are provided which exhibit very high onsets of superconductivity and superconductivity at temperatures in excess of 40.degree. K. These films are produced by vapor deposition processes using pure metal sources for the metals in the superconducting compositions, where the metals include multi-valent nonmagnetic transition metals, rare earth elements and/or rare earth-like elements and alkaline earth elements. The substrate is exposed to oxygen during vapor deposition, and, after formation of the film, there is at least one annealing step in an oxygen ambient and slow cooling over several hours to room temperature. The substrates chosen are not critical as long as they are not adversely reactive with the superconducting oxide film. Transition metals include Cu, Ni, Ti and V, while the rare earth-like elements include Y, Sc and La. The alkaline earth elements include Ca, Ba and Sr.

Abstract: We have found that liquid crystals can be aligned on a polyimide surface exposed to a low energy and neutral Argon ion beam. The energy of the incident ions were varied between 75 and 500 eV, the integrated current density from 100 .mu.A/cm.sup.2 to 500 mA/cm.sup.2, and the angle of incidence over which alignment was measured was between 10 and 20 degrees. The pretilt angle of the liquid crystals could be varied between 0 and 8 degrees, by controlling the processing conditions. Degradation of the polyimide, which leads to charge migration, can be avoided by operating at low accelerating voltages.

Abstract: A radio frequency (RF) multibit tag structure useful for identifying objects of interest is described. An array of thin cantilevers of slightly different lengths produced by differential etching are coated with a soft magnetic material which upon interrogation with an RF magnetic field vibrate at their resonant frequencies in the presence of an appropriate bias or direct current (DC) field. The oscillating magnetic fields generated by the vibrating bars and the stationary DC field can be readily detected by a receiver and processed to determine the code of the tag and thus provide information related to the object.

Abstract: A programmable tag for being readable remotely and in a manner which does not require that the tag be held in a particular orientation, includes a first layer of material with electron spin resonance absorption, a second layer of hard magnetic material, and a third layer of soft permeable magnetic material. The second layer and third layer are in close proximity to the first layer. The second layer and the third layer impose a magnetic bias field on the first layer.

Abstract: Superconducting transition metal oxide films are provided which exhibit very high onsets of superconductivity and superconductivity at temperatures in excess of 40.degree. K. These films are produced by vapor deposition processes using pure metal sources for the metals in the superconducting compositions, where the metals include multi-valent nonmagnetic transition metals, rare earth elements and/or rare earth-like elements and alkaline earth elements. The substrate is exposed to oxygen during vapor deposition, and, after formation of the film, there is at least one annealing step in an oxygen ambient and slow cooling over several hours to room temperature. The substrates chosen are not critical as long as they are not adversely reactive with the superconducting oxide film. Transition metals include Cu, Ni, Ti and V, while the rare earth-like elements include Y, Sc and La. The alkaline earth elements include Ca, Ba and Sr.

Abstract: A method is disclosed for fabricating grain boundary junction devices, which comprises preparing a crystalline substrate containing at least one grain boundary therein, epitaxially depositing a high Tc superconducting layer on the substrate, patterning the superconducting layer to leave at least two superconducting regions on either side of the grain boundary and making electrical contacts to the superconducting regions so that bias currents can be produced across the grain boundary.

Abstract: High T.sub.c superconducting devices are described in which controlled grain boundaries in a layer of the superconductors forms a weak link or barrier between superconducting grains of the layer. A method is described for reproducibly fabricating these devices, including first preparing a substrate to include at least one grain boundary therein. A high T.sub.c superconductor layer is then epitaxially deposited on the substrate in order to produce a corresponding grain boundary in the superconducting layer. This superconducting layer is then patterned to leave at least two regions on either side of the grain boundary, the two regions functioning as contact areas for a barrier device including the grain boundary as a current flow barrier. Electrical contacts can be made to the superconducting regions so that bias currents can be produced across the grain boundary which acts as a tunnel barrier or weak link connection.

Abstract: A spherical grid for use in instrumentation comprising a rigid non-magnetic frame having a pattern of holes. Into each hole a flat wafer is placed, each wafer having etched therein holes defining the grid mesh. The frame maintains the geometric conformal shape allowing large units to be constructed.