Abstract
Conventional display applications of liquid crystals utilize thin layers of mesogenic materials, typically less than 10 µm. However, emerging non-display applications will require thicker, i.e., greater than 100 µm, layers of liquid crystals. Although electro-optical performance of relatively thin liquid crystal cells is well-documented, little is known about the properties of thicker liquid crystal layers. In this paper, the electro-optical response of dual-frequency nematic liquid crystals is studied using a broad range (2–200 µm) of the cell thickness. Two regimes of electro-optical switching of dual-frequency nematics are observed and analyzed.
Highlights
Liquid crystal (LC) materials have become cornerstones of modern devices, with applications ranging from displays [1] to adaptive optics [2] to, more recently, radio-frequency (RF) and microwave and millimeter wave frequencies (MMW) electronics [3]
The phase shift is proportional to the thickness of the liquid crystal layer and its birefringence according to Equation (1) [4]:
Advanced liquid crystal devices will rely on fast-switching materials capable of producing a large phase shift
Summary
Liquid crystal (LC) materials have become cornerstones of modern devices, with applications ranging from displays [1] to adaptive optics [2] to, more recently, radio-frequency (RF) and microwave and millimeter wave frequencies (MMW) electronics [3]. Their ability to change the orientation of molecules under the action of a biasing electric field along with an anisotropy of their properties revolutionized the display industry but opened a new frontier in the development of tunable and reconfigurable devices for non-display applications. A higher phase shift can be achieved by increasing the LC cell thickness or the LC birefringence.
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