A method is provided of producing an active matrix display device having an optical layer comprising a mixture of an electro-optical material and a polymer precursor. An upper layer of the active plate is processed in dependence on a difference between the transmission or reflection characteristics of the row and column conductors and of the pixel electrodes, thereby to process the upper layer in dependence on the row and column pattern or the pixel electrode pattern. The optical layer is then exposed from above the substrate to a stimulus for polymerizing the polymer precursor into a discrete polymer surface layer, thereby enclosing the electro-optical material between the polymerized material and the active plate to define display pixels. Enclosed bodies of electro-optical material defining display pixels are defined in a pattern defined by the processing of the upper layer. This method uses the existing row and column pattern or pixel electrode pattern to define in a self-aligned manner the partitions between liquid crystal cell pockets.