Alignment film abrasion caused by rubbing

The alignment film abrasion caused by the rubbing process was quantitatively evaluated via atomic-force microscopy (AFM). First, a patterned alignment film structure, which was molded through the imprint method, was artificially formed. Then, the surface topography of the alignment film was evaluated via AFM after rubbing, and the degree of abrasion of the alignment film was estimated by subtracting the value after rubbing from the value before rubbing. It was recognized that the degree of abrasion increased with an increase in the rubbing strength. The relationship between the number of rubbing cycles and the degree of abrasion of the alignment film was also estimated.