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A Compact Full 2π Flexoelectro‐Optic Liquid Crystal Phase Modulator

Wang, Xiuze; Fells, Julian A. J.; Shi, Yuping; Ali, Taimoor; Welch, Chris; Mehl, Georg H.; Wilkinson, Timothy D.; Booth, Martin J.; Morris, Stephen M.; Elston, Steve J.

Authors

Xiuze Wang

Julian A. J. Fells

Yuping Shi

Taimoor Ali

Chris Welch

Timothy D. Wilkinson

Martin J. Booth

Stephen M. Morris

Steve J. Elston



Abstract

Wavefront shaping, which is often achieved using liquid crystal (LC) spatial light modulators, is particularly important for a wide range of applications including laser microfabrication and micromanipulation, microscopy, and quantum optics. In this work, results are presented for the first integrated LC phase modulator that combines a flexoelectro‐optic LC layer (that behaves as a switchable λ/2 waveplate) with a polymerized reactive mesogen layer (which acts as a λ/4 waveplate) and a mirrored substrate that creates a double‐pass geometry. For a flexoelectro‐optic LC layer that exhibits switching angles of ±45° at a voltage of ±85 V a full 2π phase modulation is observed when driven by a 1 kHz waveform. Experimental results are also compared with modeling using Jones calculus of the amplitude and phase variation when the LC and the polymer layer deviate from their desired waveplate conditions. The development and demonstration of an integrated device is particularly significant for applications where size and cost are critical factors such as in LiDAR for the Space and Automotive industries, respectively.

Citation

Wang, X., Fells, J. A. J., Shi, Y., Ali, T., Welch, C., Mehl, G. H., …Elston, S. J. (2020). A Compact Full 2π Flexoelectro‐Optic Liquid Crystal Phase Modulator. Advanced Materials Technologies, 5(12), Article 2000589. https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.202000589

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Sep 22, 2020
Online Publication Date Nov 9, 2020
Publication Date 2020-12
Deposit Date Nov 15, 2020
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Advanced Materials Technologies
Print ISSN 2365-709X
Electronic ISSN 2365-709X
Publisher Wiley
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 5
Issue 12
Article Number 2000589
DOI https://doi.org/10.1002/admt.202000589
Keywords Chiral nematic liquid crystal; Flexoelectricity; Phase modulator; Spatial light modulator
Public URL https://hull-repository.worktribe.com/output/3661383
Publisher URL https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/admt.202000589

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Copyright Statement
© 2020 The Authors. Advanced Materials Technologies published by Wiley‐VCH GmbH

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.






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