Surface Azimuthal Anchoring Energy between the Grating Surface and Nematic Liquid Crystal Layer Studied by Finite Element Method

It has been pointed out that Berreman's topological alignment model is applicable to a fairly shallow grating surface, but not for gratings with deep groove profiles. The reason for Berreman's model breakdown was presumed to be the absence of a second derivative in the algebra of elastic theory. In this paper, the saturation tendency of surface azimuthal anchoring energy as a function of the grating height as decribed by numerical simulation on the basis of finite element method (FEM). A good agreement between FEM and experimental results was also demonstrated.