Liquid crystal alignment layer with sidechains controlling tilt angle

DETAILED DESCRIPTION What is claimed is: 1.
A liquid crystal cell having a predetermined tilt angle controlled by alignment layers of organic material provided on surfaces of the cell walls which face liquid crystal material, said material of the alignment layers comprising: polymer chains; and side chains attached to said polymer chains in a regular arrangement, said side chains having the same structure including end groups interacting at their free ends with at least one end of the molecules of the liquid crystal material, one end group of each side chain interacting with one end of a liquid crystal molecule in such a way that the ends of the liquid crystal molecules are held at the ends of the side chains, whereby said tilt angle is controlled by the arrangement and structure of the side chains.
2.
A liquid crystal cell as claimed in claim 1, wherein the side chains consist only of the end groups, so that the end groups are linked directly to the polymer chain.
3.
A liquid crystal cell as claimed in claim 1, wherein the length of the side chains is less than the length of the liquid crystal molecules.
4.
A liquid crystal cell as claimed in claim 1, wherein the desired tilt angle of the liquid crystal molecules is determined by the length chosen for the side chains.
5.
A liquid crystal cell, as claimed in claim 1, wherein the tilt angle of the liquid crystal molecules is determined by the structure of the end group selected for the side chains.
6.
A liquid crystal cell having a predetermined tilt angle controlled by alignment layers of organic material provided on surfaces of the cell walls which face liquid crystal material, said material of the alignment layers comprising: polymer chains; and side chains attached to said polymer chains in a regular arrangement, said side chains having the same structure including end groups linked to the polymer chain by a chain of carbon atoms, one end group of each side chain interacting at its free end with one end of a liquid crystal molecule of the liquid crystal material in such a way that the ends of the liquid crystal molecules are held at the ends of the side chains, whereby said tilt angle is controlled by the arrangement and structure of the side chains