温度对全息聚合物分散液晶光栅形貌及电光特性的影响

采用光敏预聚物、向列相液晶和光引发剂混合物体系,在不同温度条件下制备全息光栅.利用红外光谱、光学显微镜、He-Ne激光器对预聚物和光栅进行测试.实验结果表明,光栅的衍射效率随制备温度的升高先增加后减小.对实验结果进行分析,发现它与光聚合反应体系的特性有很好的对应关系,同时深入探讨了制备温度对光栅形貌及电光特性的影响.     

不同结构的电控双折射无刻痕光栅研究

用MLC-7700-100向列相液晶制备了不同结构的电控双折射无刻痕液晶光栅.用波长为632.8 nm的He-Ne激光为光源,测量两种液晶光栅的光学衍射特性,用偏光显微镜观察不同电压下两种液晶光栅的液晶分子偏转状态和织构态改变的情况,并进行分析对比.发现双面电极条纹液晶光栅的电控衍射特性比单面电极条纹液晶光栅好.此结果...     

Diffraction properties of highly birefringent liquid-crystal composite gratings

We have fabricated electrically switchable holographic gratings, using Polaroid Corporation's DMP-128 photopolymer filled with the nematic liquid crystal E7. It is shown that a coupled-wave theory that includes the effects of the birefringence of the liquid crystal must be used to explain the diffraction properties of these anisotropic volume gratings. Furthermore, a detailed comparison of theory and experiment provides information about the alignment of the liquid crystal within the polymer host.     

Electrically controlled surface diffraction gratings in nematic liquid crystals

Photorefractive diffraction gratings were studied in cells of homeotropically aligned pentyl-cyanobiphenyl liquid crystal. These holographic gratings were induced by the simultaneous and nonsimultaneous application of dc and coherent optical electric fields. The observed behavior was consistent with a predominantly surface-mediated photorefractive effect. Beam coupling was observed in all cases and led to a model involving screened and unscreened interfacial trapped charges driving a modulation of the easy axis. Holographic gratings could be switched on and off by the application of a small voltage.     

偏振敏感材料中具有圆各向异性的偏振全息光栅

在向列相液晶中掺杂质量分数约0.2%的偶氮侧链型聚合物制成偏振敏感材料,使用正交圆偏振光记录了具有圆各向异性的一维偏振全息光栅,用线偏振光探测偏振全息光栅,得到正,负一级衍射光也为线偏振光,且偏振态与探测光和零级偏振态相互正交,可以运用琼斯矩阵理论加以解释.偏振全息光栅可由外加电场控制衍射级的变化,即在外加电场作用下,正、负一级衍射产生了90°的相位差.在频率6.05 Hz、电压2.2 V的外场作用下,衍射级的极值振荡变化.     

Laser-induced nonlinear orientational effects in azobenzene nematic liquid crystals

Nonlinear optical orientational phenomena induced by laser in BAAB 1005-type nematic liquid crystals are studied experimentally. It is shown that these phenomena in the field of a single-mode laser field are displayed stronger, if the liquid crystal material is pre-irradiated with certain-frequency visible radiation. These phenomena are caused by the trans-cis transition in molecules of azobenzene liquid crystal BAAB 1005 at absorption of certain frequency radiation. Qualitative explanation of the experimental results is based on the simultaneous action of several mechanisms including thermomechanical.     

Control of anisotropic diffraction in liquid-crystal composite volume gratings

Orientation-controlled anisotropic diffraction gratings are realized by interferometric exposure using composite materials of nematic liquid crystals (LCs) and LC diacrylate monomers. The anisotropic diffraction properties in volume gratings, which dominantly diffract p- or s-polarized light, are shown to be controlled by the rubbed directions of the alignment layers under the control of the photopolymerization temperature. Images of the fringe patterns observed by polarization microscopy show the effects of the alignment layers on the LC orientation during grating formation.     

Switchable gratings by spatially periodic alignment of liquid crystals via patterned photopolymerization

Spatially periodic patterning of the anchoring condition of a nematic liquid crystal (NLC) within a polymer matrix via a patterned photopolymerization affords a novel and facile method to prepare electrically switchable diffraction gratings. UV irradiation through a photomask of two comonomers, with opposite tendencies to align the NLC and also with different reactivity ratios, leads to definition of areas with either homeotropic or planar alignment of the NLC. Photopolymerization-induced diffusion of the monomers accounts for the spatial distribution of the concentration of these monomers. The resulting diffraction gratings are switchable under low electric fields and possess structural stability offered by the polymer matrix.     

Electro-optic properties of switchable gratings made of polymer and nematic liquid-crystal slices

We report the diffraction properties at wavelengths of 632.8 and 1550 nm for volume transmission gratings made of a sequence of continuously aligned nematic liquid-crystal layers separated by isotropic polymer slices. The gratings are generated by holographically curing a solution of liquid crystal diluted in an isotropic prepolymer by means of a laser beam at a wavelength of 352 nm with a total intensity of approximately 10 mW/cm2. A diffraction efficiency of 98% was measured, and an electric field as low as 5 V/microm switches off the phase grating. Measured angular spectra are fitted by use of the modified coupled-mode theory including the effects of grating birefringence.     

新型聚合物分散液晶相位光栅的制备

把具有光敏特性的预聚物与向列相液晶按一定比例混合 ,注入表面经过取向处理的液晶盒中。以紫外灯为光源 ,通过光掩膜法 ,使混合物在光场的引发下发生相分离 ,形成液晶 /聚合物相位光栅。由于相分离后液晶在取向膜的作用下沿液晶盒面方向旋转 180° ,克服了传统液晶光栅器件对入射光偏振方向的依赖 ,提高了光的有效利用率。采用光学显微镜和He Ne激光器进行测试 ,结果表明所制样品具有较好的栅结构 ,其衍射效率不受入射光偏振方向的影响且具有电场可调性。该光栅制作方法简便 ,驱动电压低 ,在光通信器件、衍射光学、投影显示、光开关等领域有广泛的应用前景     

Investigation of dielectric properties and diffraction efficiency enhancements caused by photothermal effect in DR9 dye-doped nematic liquid crystal

In this work, we studied dielectric properties and laser-induced refractive index changes originating from photothermal effects of liquid crystal material doped with Disperse Red 9 (DR9) dye. Dye concentration is arranged to be between percentages changing from 0.2 wt.% to 1 wt.% in E63 nematic liquid crystal. Nonlinear optical properties such as diffraction efficiency (η) and refractive index modulation (Δn) were investigated by diffraction grating measurements. It was found the diffraction efficiency of pure E63 nematic liquid crystal is 1%. As the doping amount of DR9 dye in nematic LC is increased, diffraction efficiency took higher values and the maximum diffraction efficiency of 10% was gained with E63 doped with 0.8 wt.%DR9 dye. Moreover, dielectric permittivity and dielectric anisotropy values of the samples were investigated in the frequency range of 100 Hz-10 MHz by using dielectric spectroscopy technique. It was observed that dielectric constant values of the liquid crystal material are strongly affected by doping with dye.     

Polarization gratings in twisted-nematic liquid-crystal composites doped with azobenzene dye

Highly efficient and functionalized polarization gratings have been recorded in azobenzene-containing mesogenic composites with twisted nematic cell configurations. The polarization gratings formed in azobenzene-containing mesogenic composites show a high diffraction efficiency of more than 45% and convert the polarization state of light at the same time. The polarization direction of the diffracted laser beams can be controlled by the twisted angle of the nematic cell. These characteristics of the polarization gratings are well explained by means of Jones calculus.     

全息离子束刻蚀衍射光栅

全息离子束刻蚀衍射光栅集中了机械刻划光栅的高效率和全息光栅的无鬼线、低杂散光、高信噪比的优点．全息离子束刻蚀已作为常规工艺手段应用于真空紫外及软x射线衍射光栅的制作．文章对全息离子束刻蚀衍射光栅的制作方法、主要类型、研究现状和应用进行了综述．     

Laser emission based on first order reflection by novel composite polymeric gratings

We have recently developed a novel composite photosensitive material allowing the holographic recording of diffraction gratings with high diffraction efficiency, transparency and spatial resolution. In the present work such material was used to produce a low cost and easy to make optically pumped, organic distributed feedback laser, working on the first diffraction order of a high quality grating doped with a photoluminescent dye. The experimental geometry incorporates two optical fibers which can be used to characterize the laser device in any development stage, collect emitted laser radiation, and offer an alternative way to pump the grating structure. The material properties and the used geometry allow the achievement of good performances in terms of energy threshold and linewidth. A comparison with holographic gratings made with holographic-polymer dispersed liquid crystals is reported to highlight the key role of the developed material.     

Asymmetric dynamic phase holographic grating in nematic liquid crystal

A new scheme for recording a dynamic phase grating with an asymmetric profile in C60-doped homeotropically aligned nematic liquid crystal(NLC) was presented.An oblique incidence beam was used to record the thin asymmetric dynamic phase holographic grating.The diffraction efficiency we achieved is more than 40%,exceeding the theoretical limit for symmetric profile gratings.Both facts can be explained by assuming that a grating with an asymmetric saw-tooth profile is formed in the NLC.Finally,physical mechanism and mathematical model for characterizing the asymmetric phase holographic grating were presented,based on the photo-refractive-like(PR-like) effect.     

Fabrication of twisted nematic structure and vector grating cells by one-step exposure on photocrosslinkable polymer liquid crystals

We present a simple yet efficient method to automatically fabricate the twisted nematic structure by one-step exposure on an empty glass cell coated with photocrosslinkable polymer liquid crystal (PCLC) films. The resultant photoalignment directions of two substrates can be orthogonal to each other by controlling the difference between the exposure energy for upper and lower PCLC films and the twisted nematic (TN) structure can be automatically fabricated. The vector grating liquid crystalline cell with TN structure was also fabricated by means of a developed method, and the diffraction properties were well explained by the theoretical calculation on the basis of Jones calculus.     

Electro-optical switching of liquid crystal diffraction gratings by using surface relief effect in the photopolymer

Surface relief patterns are one of the promising possibilities for the fabrication of liquid crystal (LC) electro-optical devices. Optically recorded surface relief gratings in an acrylamide based photopolymer were filled with the liquid crystal to fabricate liquid crystal diffraction gratings. E49 liquid crystals were used in this work. The switching behaviour of the diffraction grating was investigated by measuring the intensity in the first order when an electric field was applied.     

Nearly-analogue blazed phase grating using high birefringence liquid crystal

Diffraction of liquid crystal gratings has been thoroughly studied for many applications such as diffraction optics, optical processing, and spectral analysis. In pure optical processing one varies the direction of propagation of light beam without any mechanical adjustment. In this work we propose a beam steering device using highly birefringent liquid crystal material. Using a highly birefringent material one can reduce the LC layer thickness needed to achieve 2π of phase modulation and thus reduce the fringing effect caused by deformation of the electric field at the edge of the pixel. Here, we present 1.5-μm thick, high-resolution diffraction grating with non-detectable fringing.     

Electrically controllable multiple, active, computer-generated hologram

The multiple, active, computer-generated hologram (MACH) is a novel device combining the attributes of electrically controllable diffraction gratings and computer-generated holograms. The version discussed here consists of a surface relief transmitting structure immersed in a nematic liquid crystal and sandwiched between two, planar indium tin oxide electrodes. Under control of a single applied voltage, the device can selectively generate any one of a number of desired, uncorrelated optical wave fronts. The device principles are discussed and experimental results presented. There is a brief discussion of the relative merits of the MACH and electrically addressed spatial light modulators.     

Modified phase contrast for recording of holographic optical elements

A modified phase contrast method is described for the fabrication of holographic optical elements with in-line diffraction patterns. In this method, a liquid crystal phase modulator is addressed by computer-generated holograms to achieve variable phase gratings. The phase gratings are imaged onto photosensitive material by a phase contrast method without a Fourier filter. We show the analytical treatment of the modified phase contrast method and demonstrate the application in holographic recording.