Optically-tunable beam steering grating based n azobenzene doped cholesteric liquid crystal.
This work proposes an optically controllable beam-steering device, fabricated using cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs) that are doped with azobenzene. The trans-cis photoisomerization of azobenzene changes the pitch of the CLC fingerprint structure and shifts the diffraction angle. The diffraction angle increases when the cell is irradiated with UV light, and restored when it is irradiated with green light. Combining the photoisomerization effect with electrical effect, the CLC beam-steering device provides a steering angle of approximately 19 degrees. The tuning is continuous and could be completed within a few seconds.
Jau
Hung-Chang
HC
Institute of Electro-optic Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
Lin
Tsung-Hsien
TH
Fung
Ri-Xin
RX
Huang
San-Yi
SY
Liu
J-H
JH
Fuh
Andy Y-G
AY
D001391:Azo Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D004867:Equipment Design; D050866:Liquid Crystals / Q000737:chemistry*; D012031:Refractometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
D001391:Azo Compounds; C009850:azobenzene