Douglas Bryant

Simple four‐domain twisted nematic liquid crystal display

A particularly simple four‐domain (4‐D) twisted nematic (TN) liquid crystal display (LCD) device is proposed, which is composed of two left‐handed TN and two right‐handed TN subpixels. One of each pair of same handedness subpixels is rotated 180° with respect to the other, resulting in four domains that spatially average one another optically to provide a wide angle of viewing with no gray scale inversion. The detailed fabrication process is presented for a two step SiOx oblique evaporation technique used to realize this 4‐D TN LCD. A reverse rubbed polyamide fabrication process has also been successfully used and will be presented in the full length article. Here we present the complete viewing angle and contrast ratio data for a simple and successful 4‐D TN LCD cell.

FOUR-DOMAIN TWISTED NEMATIC LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY FABRICATED BY REVERSE RUBBED POLYIMIDE PROCESS

In Appl. Phys. Lett. 67, 1990 (1995), we proposed a particularly simple four‐domain (4‐D) twisted nematic(TN) liquid crystal display(LCD) device, which is composed of two left‐handed and two right‐handed TN subpixels. The two members of each pair of same handedness subpixels are rotated 180° with respect to each other, resulting in four domains that spatially average one another optically to provide a wide angle of viewing with no gray scale inversion. The optical performance of the 4‐D TN LCD was confirmed by studies of a test cell fabricated by a two‐step SiOx oblique evaporation technique. In this article, we report the realization of our four‐domain TN display by a reverse rubbing technique that should be suitable for mass production in the display industry. The optical simulation of our 4‐D TN cell was performed and the effect of disclinations at subpixel boundaries on display contrast investigated. A simple model was developed to evaluate the stability of our 4‐D structure.

Versatile alignment layer method for new types of liquid crystal photonic devices

Liquid crystal photonic devices are becoming increasingly popular. These devices often present a challenge when it comes to creating a robust alignment layer in pre-assembled cells. In this paper, we describe a method of infusing a dye into a microcavity to produce an effective photo-definable alignment layer. However, previous research on such alignment layers has shown that they have limited stability, particularly against subsequent light exposure. As such, we further describe a method of utilizing a pre-polymer, infused into the microcavity along with the liquid crystal, to provide photostability. We demonstrate that the polymer layer, formed under ultraviolet irradiation of liquid crystal cells, has been effectively localized to a thin region near the substrate surface and provides a significant improvement in the photostability of the liquid crystal alignment. This versatile alignment layer method, capable of being utilized in devices from the described microcavities to displays, offers significant promise for new photonics applications.

Physical limitations and fundamental factors affecting performance of liquid crystal tunable lenses with concentric electrode rings

A comprehensive analysis of fundamental factors and their effects on the performance of liquid crystal (LC)-based lenses is given. The analysis adopts numerical LC director and electric field simulation, as well as scalar diffraction theory for calculating the lens performance considering different variable factors. A high-efficiency LC lens with concentric electrode rings is fabricated for verifying and enriching the analysis. The measurement results are in close agreement with the analysis, and a summary of key factors is given with their quantitative contributions to the efficiency.

47.4: Lyotropic Thin Film Polarizers

E-type polarizers are now available for industrial applications. New polarizers are produced as submicron thin film polarizing coating. Glass and plastic (PET) TN LCDs were manufactured with Thin Film Polarizers replacing conventional polarizers. Another design uses new polarizers to replace the alignment layer and performs both functions: polarization and LC alignment. Optical characteristics of new LCD design are comparable (Contrast Ratio =60) or better (Viewing Angle Cone) than conventional technology.

Effects of humidity and surface on photoalignment of brilliant yellow

ABSTRACT Controlling and optimising the alignment of liquid crystals is a crucial process for display application. Here, we investigate the effects of humidity and surface types on photoalignment of an azo-dye brilliant yellow (BY). Specifically, the effect of humidity on the photoalignment of BY was studied at the stage of substrate storage before coating, during the spin-coating process, between film coating and exposure, and after exposure. Surprising results are the drastic effect of humidity during the spin-coating process, the humidity annealing to increase the order of the BY layer after exposure and the dry annealing to stabilise the layer. Our results are interpreted in terms of the effect of water on the aggregation of BY. The type of surface studied had minimal effects. Thin BY films (about 3 nm thickness) were sensitive to the hydrophilicity of the surface while thick BY films (about 30 nm thickness) were not affected by changing the surface. The results of this paper allow for the optimisation of the BY photoalignment for liquid crystal display application as well as a better understanding of the BY photoalignment mechanism. Graphical Abstract

Design of a large aperture tunable refractive Fresnel liquid crystal lens

A large aperture tunable lens based on liquid crystals, which is considered for near-to-eye applications, is designed, built, and characterized. Large liquid crystal lenses with high quality are limited by very slow switching speeds due to the large optical path difference (OPD) required. To reduce the switching time of the lens, the thickness is controlled through the application of several phase resets, similar to the design of a Fresnel lens. A main point of the paper is the design of the Fresnel structure to have a minimal effect on the image quality. Our modeling and experimental results demonstrate that minimal image degradation due to the phase resets is observable when the segment spacing is chosen by taking into account human eye resolution. Such lenses have applications related to presbyopia and, in virtual reality systems, to solve the well-known issue of accommodation-convergence mismatch.

A Scalable Fabrication Process for Liquid Crystal Based Uncooled Thermal Imagers

A novel sensor is being developed for a new uncooled imager technology that is scalable to large formats (tens of megapixels), which is greater than what is achieved by commercial microbolometer arrays. In this novel sensor, a liquid-crystal transducer is used to change a long-wavelength infrared scene into a visible image that can be detected using a conventional visible imager. This approach has the potential for making a more flexible thermal sensor that can be optimized for a variety of applications. In this paper, we describe the microfabrication processes required to create an array of sealed thermally isolated micro-cavities filled with liquid crystals to be used for an uncooled thermal imager. Experimental results from the fabricated arrays will also be discussed.

Liquid crystal uncooled thermal imager development

An uncooled thermal imager is being developed based on a liquid crystal (LC) transducer. Without any electrical connections, the LC transducer pixels change the long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) scene directly into a visible image as opposed to an electric signal in microbolometers. The objectives are to develop an imager technology scalable to large formats (tens of megapixels) while maintaining or improving the noise equivalent temperature difference (NETD) compared to microbolometers. The present work is demonstrating that the LCs have the required performance (sensitivity, dynamic range, speed, etc.) to enable a more flexible uncooled imager. Utilizing 200-mm wafers, a process has been developed and arrays have been fabricated using aligned LCs confined in 20×20-μm cavities elevated on thermal legs. Detectors have been successfully fabricated on both silicon and fused silica wafers using less than 10 photolithographic mask steps. A breadboard camera system has been assembled to test the imagers. Various sensor configurations are described along with advantages and disadvantages of component arrangements.

Dynamics of a Liquid-Crystal Variable Optical Prism Based on Pancharatnam Phase

We consider the dynamics of a variable optical prism based on Pancharatnam phase. The device basics, using liquid crystals (LCs) as the electro-optical material, have been previously proposed. In this paper, we study the dynamics of discrete changes in the phase profile, and also continuous changes in the phase profile through acquired data and numerical modeling. We show that a design based on LCs whose dielectric anisotropy can change sign (as a function of frequency) allows continuous tuning with reasonable response times.