title: Optically-tunable beam steering grating based n azobenzene doped cholesteric liquid crystal.
abstract: 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.
authors: Institute of Electro-optic Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors: Hung-Chang
authors: HC
authors: Jau
authors: Tsung-Hsien
authors: TH
authors: Lin
authors: Ri-Xin
authors: RX
authors: Fung
authors: San-Yi
authors: SY
authors: Huang
authors: J-H
authors: JH
authors: Liu
authors: Andy Y-G
authors: AY
authors: Fuh
mesh_terms: D001391:Azo Compounds / Q000737:chemistry*; D004867:Equipment Design; D050866:Liquid Crystals / Q000737:chemistry*; D012031:Refractometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D001391:Azo Compounds; C009850:azobenzene