Unidirectional alignment of liquid crystals on solution-derived hafnium tin oxide films via ion-beam irradiation

We demonstrated the performance of solution-derived hafnium doped tin oxide films annealed at various temperatures via ion-beam irradiation. The Hf:SnO2 films were employed as liquid crystal alignment layers, which were deposited from solution to replace sputtering methods. Homogeneous and uniform liquid crystal alignment was achieved at all annealing temperatures, yielding a high-performance liquid crystal system. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy revealed the surface characteristics of the hafnium doped tin oxide films at various annealing temperatures, and various surface phenomena were observed. High-performance electro-optical properties were observed for the twisted nematic LC cells of hafnium doped tin oxide films annealed at various temperatures. The lowest threshold voltage (2.042 V) and fastest response time (8.494 ms) were achieved at an annealing temperature of 200 °C. Our results revealed the potential of solution-derived hafnium doped tin oxide films as liquid crystal alignment layers.