Photoaddressed ferroelectric liquid crystal devices

Abstract

Ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) devices have a speed and storage advantage over nematic liquid crystal (NLC) devices.1 We are developing a family of photoaddressed liquid crystal spatial light modulators (SLMs), including FLC devices, for optical processing applications. We find that photoaddressing structures that are effective in addressing NLC cells often prove ineffective for FLC cells, which is revealed in transient imaging effects and image fading and blooming. This is probably associated with a lack of ac symmetry in the photoaddressing element, which leads to a dc component in the addressing voltage. The FLC device is more sensitive to spurious dc potentials due to its permanent dipole moment and lower ionic mobility. Possible improvements in the photoaddressing structure are discussed. The electroclinic effect associated with the FLC phase can provide submicrosecond modulation at reduced sensitivity over a limited temperature range.2 The value of this effect in SLM applications is examined, where the higher voltage requirement is shown to compromise the resolution.