Abstract

Polarization volume gratings (PVGs) based on polymerized cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) films can potentially be applied as optical combiners in augmented reality (AR) smart glasses. The reflection bandwidth of PVGs is determined by the helical pitch and birefringence of the CLC, which must be tuned to match the desired color for reflection, but tuning the material properties is challenging as the materials must also be polymerizable. Here, we report a postprocessing method based on guest material penetration for the tuning of the reflection bandwidth of CLC polymer films. Solution coating of a high-birefringence guest liquid crystal on a CLC film modifies the birefringence as well as elongates the helical pitch. Penetration of a high-birefringence 5CT liquid crystal was found to cause a birefringence increase of the CLC film by approximately 18%.

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