Martin Stalder

Polarization Converters Based on Liquid Crystal Devices

Abstract Liquid crystal (LC) devices arc presented which convert linearly polarized light into linearly polarized light with axial symmetry. Their symmetry axis is determined by the propagation axis of the light beam. Such light fields can be characterized by an integer P, which we call the polarization order number. Our LC devices are shown to generate P = -2, -1, 1 and 2 fields. Devices that generate P = 1 fields act as azimuthal (A) or radial (R) polarizers or analyzers. Our circularly symmetric polarizers can be used as polarization axis finders or, when two of them are combined, as versatile tools for investigating birefringent, dichroic or optically active materials.

40.3: Advanced Electronic Color Switch for Time‐Sequential Projection

We present a novel thin-film based electro-optical concept of a fast responding electronic color switch with optimal transmission and a color gamut meeting NTSC standard. The versatile and compact polarization color switch consists of ferroelectric liquid crystal cells and photo-aligned, non-absorbing liquid crystal polymer thin-films.

Active and passive optical components using liquid crystals

The vast majority of liquid crystal (LC) devices are used today in displays and image projection systems. The goal of this work is to demonstrate that with LC other helpful optical components can also be built. Two classes of devices are presented. The first class represent 1-dimensional spatial light modulators with high resolution electrodes to be used as beam steering devices. These devices are parallel LC cells and represent electrically controllable birefringent phase gratings. The second class involves what we call polarization converter devices and which represent the passive LC devices. These nematic LC devices are fairly easy to fabricate and a new class of light fields can be generated with them, namely linearly polarized light with axial symmetry. These fields are very difficult to generate unless the LC components described here are used.