A novel single-sided dual-period liquid crystal phase grating with high phase difference and fast-response

Abstract

The liquid crystal (LC) phase grating is highly sought-after in a myriad of applications, ranging from telecommunications to sensing technologies. However, achieving both rapid response times and high phase differences simultaneously remains a formidable challenge. Here, a novel single-sided dual-period LC phase grating structure with high phase difference and fast-response is proposed. The grating's substrate is comprised of a composite electrode, incorporating strip electrodes and a common electrode. By applying varied voltages across different electrode modules, distinct periods and diffraction angles are attained. Simulation results indicate that this approach yields phase differences of 1.61π for large-period LC phase grating and 1.17π for small-period ones. Moreover, the measured rise and decay time for the former is 8.15 ms and 4.10 ms, and for the latter is 8.84 ms and 4.12 ms, respectively. The proposed LC phase grating, with its simplicity and ease of operation, holds substantial potential for application across a broad spectrum of fields, highlighting its considerable room for development.