Abstract
This paper reviews our recent work on the photorefractive effect of ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs). The photorefractive effect is defined as the optical modulation of the refractive index of a medium as a result of a variety of processes. The interference of two laser beams in a photorefractive material establishes a refractive index grating. This phenomenon enables the creation of different types of photonic applications. FLCs exhibit fast electric field response, and the orientation of the molecular axis of FLCs changes its direction according to the change in direction of the spontaneous polarization (Ps). When two laser beams interfere in a photoconductive FLC, an orientational grating is formed. The mechanism of the formation of the grating is based on the response of the Ps to the photoinduced internal electric field. The time of formation of the refractive index grating is significantly shorter in FLC materials.
Highlights
Ferroelectric liquid crystals have been attracting great interest for their application in photo‐ refractive devices
Since a change in the refractive index via the photorefractive effect occurs in the areas be‐ tween the bright and dark positions of the interference fringe, the phase of the resulting in‐ dex grating is shifted from the interference fringe
The reorientational photorefractive effect based on the response of bulk polarization was observed in dye-doped Ferroelectric liq‐ uid crystals (FLCs) samples
Summary
Ferroelectric liquid crystals have been attracting great interest for their application in photo‐ refractive devices. The internal electric field alters the direction of spontaneous polarization in the area between the bright and dark positions of the interference fringes, which induces a peri‐ odic change in the orientation of the FLC molecules. This is different from the processes that occur in other photorefractive materials in that the molecular dipole rather than the bulk po‐ larization responds to the internal electric field. Since the switching of FLC molecules is due to the response of bulk polarization, the switching is extremely fast
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