Switchable circular beamsplitter using a dual-frequency cholesteric liquid crystal

Hong Ding; Greg A. Kopp; Michael J. Derks; Michael H. Anderson; Ming Xu; Deng Ke Yang

doi:10.1117/12.326904

14 October 1998 Switchable circular beamsplitter using a dual-frequency cholesteric liquid crystal

Hong Ding, Greg A. Kopp, Michael J. Derks, Michael H. Anderson, Ming Xu, Deng Ke Yang

Proceedings Volume 3475, Liquid Crystals II; (1998) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.326904
Event: SPIE's International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, 1998, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

The cholesteric liquid crystal (LC) has a chiral structure defined by pitch length. This unique structure reflects one handedness of circularly polarized light and is used as a circular polarizer. This polarizer can be actively switched between a state that is transparent to light of all polarizations and another state that in only transmissive to one handedness of circularly polarized light. The dual- frequency material is used to reduce the relaxation time. The dual-frequency circular polarizer can be switched from the transparent homeotropic texture by a low frequency driving signal, and switched to the reflecting planar texture by a high frequency signal. This polarizer functions as a switchable shutter for which we have characterized switching process, relaxation time, polarization purity, and extinction ratio.

Citation Download Citation

Hong Ding, Greg A. Kopp, Michael J. Derks, Michael H. Anderson, Ming Xu, and Deng Ke Yang "Switchable circular beamsplitter using a dual-frequency cholesteric liquid crystal", Proc. SPIE 3475, Liquid Crystals II, (14 October 1998); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.326904

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