Ferroelectric and antiferroelectric liquid crystals for optical phase modulation

Leonid A. Beresnev; Thomas Weyrauch; Wolfgang Dultz; Sergei A. Pikin

doi:10.1117/12.407489

22 November 2000 Ferroelectric and antiferroelectric liquid crystals for optical phase modulation

Leonid A. Beresnev, Thomas Weyrauch, Wolfgang Dultz, Sergei A. Pikin

Proceedings Volume 4124, High-Resolution Wavefront Control: Methods, Devices, and Applications II; (2000) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.407489
Event: International Symposium on Optical Science and Technology, 2000, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

A novel liquid crystalline material for optical phase modulation is proposed. The material consists of banana shaped dimer molecules, which form a lamellar phase, e.g. a smectic phase. A helical superstructure is induced by means of chiral fragments included in the molecular structure. Due to polyphilic segregation of hydrogenated and fluorinated molecule segments a cancellation of transversal dipole moments can be avoided and a net polarization of single layers will be obtained. The polarized layers may form ferroelectric or antiferroelectric structures. Application of an electric field in light propagation direction will deform the helix until total unwinding without reorienting the optical axes of the material, but changing the refractive index for one polarization direction. An estimation of the refractive indices of the material, its index modulation capability and the behavior under electric field is presented in this paper. The possible application of the material in phase modulators is discussed.

Citation Download Citation

Leonid A. Beresnev, Thomas Weyrauch, Wolfgang Dultz, and Sergei A. Pikin "Ferroelectric and antiferroelectric liquid crystals for optical phase modulation", Proc. SPIE 4124, High-Resolution Wavefront Control: Methods, Devices, and Applications II, (22 November 2000); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.407489

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