The transmittance tests and the polarized microscopy were used to investigate the orientational structures of azobenzene-containing side-chain liquid crystalline polymer upon linearly polarized light(LPL)and circularly polarized light (CPL)irradiation.The results suggest an in-plane arranged single-domain order phase was achieved upon the LPL irradiation
which showed a black cross interference figure.The figure disappeared upon less than 10° rotation of the stage.As a contrast
CPL pumped film showed centered conoscopic interference figure upon a perpendicular light irradiation.The off-center distance of interference figures depends on the incident angle of the CPL beams.The annealed film showed a fixed conoscopic image with its optical axis perpendicular to the film plane
suggesting that oriented azobenzene mesogen belongs to the uniaxial type of anisotropic unit.