A substrate is treated prior to use to induce a near-parallel orientation of a liquid crystal director relative to the substrate. A layer of silica is deposited on the substrate by in-line magnetron sputtering as the substrate is moved past the sputtering target, and the silica-coated substrate is thereafter...http://www.google.com.au/patents/US5529817?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US5529817 - Inducing tilted parallel alignment in liquid crystals
