This dissertation investigates fast-switching liquid crystal materials for non-display applications, including tunable optical filters and biomedical microscopy. In the LC cell preparation workflow, the author states that ITO-coated soda-lime glass substrates were cleaned, surface-treated, and then coated with Nissan Chemicals ER-1744 polyimide using an Apogee® Spin Coater. The spin-coating recipe shown in Table 2.1 on page 11 uses three steps: 500 rpm for 10 s, 2000 rpm for 20 s, and 500 rpm for 5 s, with corresponding ramp rates of 200, 500, and 200 rpm/s. After coating, the glass was cured in an oven at 230 °C for 1 hour before rubbing to create microgrooves for liquid crystal alignment. This makes the dissertation a solid university research reference tying Apogee® equipment directly to polyimide coating in liquid crystal device fabrication.
