Optical filter with tunable wavelength and bandwidth based on cholesteric liquid crystals

An optical filter with tunable wavelength and bandwidth has been demonstrated using two cholesteric liquid crystals configured in a reflection mode, in which the incident light is first reflected by one cholesteric liquid crystal and then by the other one. The central wavelength can be tuned from 527 nm to 574 nm and the bandwidth can be changed from 10 nm to 80 nm. It has potential applications in many fields, especially in optical communications and multispectral and hyperspectral imaging systems.     

Polymer-stabilized cholesteric liquid crystals as switchable photonic broad bandgaps

A cholesteric liquid crystal can be considered as a one-dimensional photonic crystal with a refractive index that is regularly modulated along the helix axis because of the particular arrangement of the molecules. The result is that the propagation of light is suppressed for a particular range of wavelengths (bandgap). A polymer-stabilized cholesteric liquid crystal (PSCLC), which is obtained by in situ photopolymerization of reactive liquid-crystal molecules in the presence of non-reactive liquid-crystal molecules in an oriented Bragg planar texture, is elaborated by combining the UV-curing with a thermally induced pitch variation. As a consequence, it is shown here that memory effects are introduced into the characteristics of the reflection band of the material at room temperature. In the visible spectrum, the reflection bandwidth can be tuned in agreement with the thermal ramp and broadened. In addition, the bandgap filters can be switched between broadband reflective, scattering and transparent states by subjecting them to an electric field. Related application fields of these functional materials are switchable smart windows for the control of the solar-light spectrum and white-or-black polarizer-free reflective displays.     

Reflection spectrum of a cholesteric liquid crystal with structural defects

An expression is obtained for the reflection coefficient of circularly polarized light normally incident on the film of a cholesteric liquid crystal with a variable helix pitch. It is shown that, in the case of a single defect (local change in the helix pitch), the spectrum of light reflection from a cholesteric acquires a dip corresponding to the defect mode. New qualitative features appear in the reflection spectrum of a cholesteric with two defects as the distance between them varies.     

Experimental investigation of one-sided optical transparency in cholesteric liquid crystal thin film

Influence of boundary conditions on optical properties of a layer of cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) has been investigated. In particular, a sample was obtained which is transparent for circularly polarized light incident from one side and gives losses in the transmission spectrum (within nearly 100 nm wide wavelength range) if light is incident from the opposite side, i.e. exhibits optical diode behavior. Two selective reflection bands were detected in the reflection spectrum of the sample. Spectral position of both selective reflection bands and transmission spectrum are shown to be CLC temperature-controllable.     

复指数矩阵法研究螺旋液晶光学传播特性

提出一种研究螺旋液晶光学特性的数学处理方法.螺旋型液晶可当作N层双折射材料晶片叠合而成,而相邻晶片的光轴依次旋转一个小角度.在光学转换矩阵中引入复数来研究螺旋型液晶光学性能,给出了相关的数学处理方法.研究了线性偏振光在螺旋液晶中的传播特性,并给出了光经过螺旋液晶后电场强度的矩阵表达式.研究发现,如果入射光波长等于螺旋液晶螺距,线偏振光经过右螺旋液晶后是左旋圆偏振光.理论上分析了螺旋液晶对可见光选择性反射机理.     

菌紫质光致变色吸收特性的二能级理论研究

采用二能级模型(B态和M态)简化菌紫质(bR)光循环过程,建立了菌紫质光致变色吸收特性的数学方程,数值计算了bR膜对570nm单光束和对570nm与412nm双光束的吸收特性.计算表明,bR膜的光吸收特性与入射光波长、入射光强、摩尔消光系数、光密度和M态寿命有很大的关系.bR膜用于光存储时,读出光强和M态寿命是影响bR读出使用时间的两个重要因素.570nm与412nm双光束作用于bR膜时,可以实现以光控光操作,但由于570nm黄光的透过动态范围要比412nm紫光的透过动态范围大得多,因而在实际应用中应以黄光作为信息光,紫光作为控制光.基于bR膜对黄、紫光束的吸收特性,可以将其应用于亮背景滤除、反象器、图象相减、光寻址空间光调制器等光信息处理领域.     

Nonlinear “brightening” of a film of nonabsorbing chiral nematic under selective reflection conditions

A strong decrease in the reflection coefficient of a film of a nonabsorbing chiral nematic (cholesteric) is observed experimentally in the region of selective reflection under the action of a powerful beam of circularly polarized light. The independence of the effect from the average power density (and its dependence only on the peak power density) allow it to be attributed to an increase in the pitch of the cholesteric helix to such a degree that it is completely unwound, an effect previously observed only in static and low-frequency electric and magnetic fields, in the strong field of the light wave. These are the first experiments in which, on account of the specially chosen irradiation conditions, the changes produced in the pitch of the helix by the field of the light wave can accumulate over time, so that a nonthermal mechanism can be invoked to explain the nonlinear brightening of a mirror made of a chiral nematic. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 63, No. 6, 403–407 (25 March 1996)     

Structural and optical investigations of TGBA and TGBC mesophases exhibiting cylindrical and cone-like domain textures

The characterization by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry of two new liquid crystalline compounds is presented. The compounds under consideration incorporate in their molecules two chiral centres (one asymmetric carbon and one asymmetric sulphur of a sulphinate group). While the carbon chirality is fixed in the R configuration the sulphur chirality may be either in the S or in the R configuration. A mesophase in a large temperature domain is evidenced for one of the two diastereomers, while both and mesophases are observed in a similar temperature domain for the other one. For both diastereomers and in both mesophases it is possible to observe the coexistence of two different types of optical textures, namely planar cholesteric textures and developable domains. The latter are coiled in a different way than proposed in an earlier publication. More precisely, they form cylindrical or cone-like domains with double-twist properties as observed in the blue phases. The pitch of the helix in the TGB mesophases is evaluated by means of optical reflection observations in samples exhibiting the planar cholesteric textures. For both diastereomers it is also possible to evaluate structural parameters related to the organization within the mesophases. Finally, the induced phase transition - is studied by the application of an AC electric field. Received: 16 June 1997 / Revised: 17 October 1997 / Accepted: 20 November 1997     

磁控溅射法制备的高反Ag_5In_5Te_(47)Sb_(33)相变薄膜的光谱性质及短波长静态记录性能

研究了磁控溅射制备的Ａｇ５Ｉｎ５Ｔｅ４７Ｓｂ３３相变薄膜的光谱及短波长静态记录性能。研究结果表明，晶态薄膜反射率较高，并在６００～９００ｎｍ波长范围内，晶态与非晶态的反射率和折射率相差很大。在ＣＤ－Ｅ系统的工作波长７８０ｎｍ处，晶态反射率高达５０％，光学常数为５．３４－１．０ｉ；非晶态反射率为２３％，光学常数为２．５－１．０３ｉ。从这一角度讲，Ａｇ５Ｉｎ５Ｔｅ４７Ｓｂ３３相变薄膜适于做ＣＤ－Ｅ系统的记录介质。另外，采用波长为５１４．４ｎｍ的短波长光学静态记录测试仪对Ａｇ５Ｉｎ５Ｔｅ４７Ｓｂ３３薄膜的记录性能进行了测试，结果表明，这种薄膜短波长记录性能较好，它在较低功率和短脉宽的激光束作用下就可得到较高的反射率对比度。     

胆甾相和蓝相液晶的透射和反射特性

针对蓝相液晶显示器中的暗态漏光特性, 采用时域有限差分方法模拟计算了胆甾相液晶的平面态和焦锥态以及蓝相II态液晶的透射和反射特性, 得到了它们在正交和平行偏振片之间的漏光, 并提出了计算等效旋光能力的公式以比较它们的旋光能力. 通过对比焦锥态和蓝相液晶的旋光能力和漏光特性发现, 采用焦锥态替代蓝相液晶而得到良好的暗态特性是一种可行的方法. 通过研究它们的布拉格反射特性, 得知蓝相液晶的布拉格反射与平面态相似, 但反射强度小, 焦锥态无明显的布拉格反射特性.     

Embedded dots inside glass for optical film using UV laser of ultrafast laser pulse

Microstructures are usually fabricated on the surface of optical sheets to improve the optical characteristics. In this study, a new fabrication process with UV (ultraviolet) laser direct writing method is developed to embed microstructures inside the glass. Then the optical properties of glass such as reflection and refraction indexes can be modified. Single- and multi-layer microstructures are designed and embedded inside glass substrate to modify the optical characteristics. Both luminance and uniformity can be controlled with the embedded microstructures. Thus, the glass with inside pattern can be used as a light guide plate to increase optical performance. First, an optical commercial software, FRED, is applied to design the microstructure configuration. Then, UV laser direct writing with output power 2.5-2.6 W, repetition rate 30 kHz, wave length: 355 nm, and pulse duration 15 ns is used to fabricate the microstructures inside the glass. The effect of dot pattern in the glass such as the dot pitch, the layer gap, and the number of layer on the optical performance is discussed. Machining capacity of UV laser ranges from micron to submicrometer; hence with this ultrafast laser pulse, objectives of various dimensions such as dot, line width, and layers can be easily embedded in the glass by one simple process. In addition, the embedded microstructures can be made with less contamination. Finally, the optical performance of the glasses with various configurations is measured using a Spectra Colorometer (Photo Research PR650) and compared with the simulated results.     

Specific features of the spectral properties of a cholesteric liquid crystal with a resonance defective nanocomposite layer

This paper reports on studying the spectral properties of a cholesteric liquid crystal with a defective layer of a nanocomposite consisting of metallic nanoballs dispersed in a transparent matrix and characterized by an effective resonance dielectric permittivity. The transmission, reflection, and absorption spectra of waves of both circular polarizations have been calculated, and the spectral splitting of the defective mode when its frequency coincides with the resonance frequency of the nanocomposite has been studied. An essential dependence of the splitting on the nanoball concentration in the defect has been established. It has been shown that, depending on the position of the resonance frequency with respect to the boundaries of the cholesteric band gap, an additional passband appears in the transmission spectrum, which corresponds to waves of the diffracting circular polarization, or an additional band gap for waves of both circular polarizations, which are substantially modified with variations of both the incidence angle of light and the cholesteric helix pitch.     

Influence of morphology on the emissive properties of dye-doped PVP nanofibers produced by electrospinning

Dye-doped polymer micro- and nanofibers with tailored light emission properties have great potential for applications in optical, optoelectronic, or photonic devices. In this study, these types of structures were obtained by electrospinning rhodamine 6 G-doped polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) using a polymer solution of 10% (mass) concentration in ethanol. Polymer nanofibers with different morphologies (smooth and beaded) and diameters of about 500 nm were obtained using different electrospinning conditions with the same solutions. Fluorescence optical microscopy observations showed that the dye was distributed uniformly in the doped PVP nanofibers. Different shifts were observed when we compared the wavelength of the dye emission band peak of the smooth nanofibers (566 nm) and the wavelength of the dye emission band peak of the beaded fibers (561.5 nm) produced by electrospinning in different conditions with the wavelength of the emission band peak for transparent thin films produced by spin coating (558 nm) using the same polymer solution. This demonstrates that it is possible to tune the optical properties of electrospun dye-doped polymer nanofibers simply by modifying the morphology of the material, i.e., the parameters of the electrospinning process.     

Planar quarter wave stacks prepared from chalcogenide Ge-Se and polymer polystyrene thin films

Planar quarter wave stacks based on amorphous chalcogenide Ge-Se alternating with polymer polystyrene (PS) thin films are reported as Bragg reflectors for near-infrared region. Chalcogenide films were prepared using a thermal evaporation (TE) while polymer films were deposited using a spin-coating technique. The film thicknesses, d∼165 nm for Ge₂₅Se₇₅ (n=2.35) and d∼250 nm for polymer film (n=1.53), were calculated to center the reflection band round 1550 nm, whose wavelengths are used in telecommunication. Optical properties of prepared multilayer stacks were determined in the range 400-2200 nm using spectral ellipsometry, optical transmission and reflection measurements. Total reflection for normal incidence of unpolarized light was observed from 1530 to 1740 nm for 8 Ge-Se+7 PS thin film stacks prepared on silicon wafer. In addition to total reflection of light with normal incidence, the omnidirectional total reflection of TE-polarized light from 8 Ge-Se+7 PS thin film stacks was observed. Reflection band maxima shifted with varying incident angles, i.e., 1420-1680 nm for 45° deflection from the normal and 1300-1630 nm for 70° deflection from the normal.     

Determination and analysis of dispersive optical constants of CuIn3S5 thin films

CuIn₃S₅ thin films were prepared from powder by thermal evaporation under vacuum (10⁻⁶ mbar) onto glass substrates. The glass substrates were heated from 30 to 200 °C. The films were characterized for their optical properties using optical measurement techniques (transmittance and reflectance). We have determined the energy and nature of the optical transitions of films. The optical constants of the deposited films were determined in the spectral range 300-1800 nm from the analysis of transmission and reflection data. The Swanepoel envelope method was employed on the interference fringes of transmittance patterns for the determination of variation of refractive index with wavelength. Wemple-Di Domenico single oscillator model was applied to determine the optical constants such as oscillator energy E₀ and dispersion energy E_d of the films deposited at different substrate temperatures. The electric free carrier susceptibility and the ratio of the carrier concentration to the effective mass were estimated according to the model of Spitzer and Fan.     

Applying the optical activity of cholesteric liquid crystal for measuring small wavelength differences

This work proposes a simple measurement technique based on the optical activity of cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) and circular common-path heterodyne interferometry for measuring small wavelength differences. A circularly polarized heterodyne light passes through a CLC cell and an analyzer, generating an interference signal. When the CLC cell is properly chosen with a circular regime, it has strong optical activity. Accordingly, the phase difference between the left and right circular light of the interference signal depends strongly on the wavelength. As the wavelength changes, variations of the phase difference can be accurately detected by heterodyne interferometry. Substituting the variation of phase difference into specially derived equations, the wavelength variations can be estimated accurately. The feasibility of this method, which is applicable when the wavelength is larger than the product of the pitch and the refractive index of the CLC cell, was demonstrated; it provides the advantages of simple installation, ease of operation, and high accuracy.     

Neurosensory tissue morphology with intraoperative optical fiber probe in aqueous medium

In this work, the author has demonstrated cross-sectional imaging of a retina of an ex vivo fish sample using a common path frequency domain optical coherence tomography at 0.8 μm range. It has been introduced that an integrated surgical hypodermic needle fiber probe can stabilize the flexible glass optical fiber and provides a close proximity to the specimen for intraoperative image guiding. In addition, the light source characteristics were matched to the common path interferometer while operating in the aqueous medium (saline solution), in order to mimic the in vivo condition, in that it shows greater bandwidth and shorter center wavelength for larger input current or output power to sustain the appropriate level of coherence reference peak by the partial reflection at the glass fiber probe interface.     

Electromechanical and light tunable cholesteric liquid crystals

A light-responsive cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) mixture is tuned with light and applied DC electric field. Interestingly, the reflection of the CLC is red shifted with UV light and blue shifted with applied DC electric fields. UV light exposure induces a red shift in the reflection of the CLC bandgap by as much as 800 nm from the original spectral position. Spatial variations in pitch (and thus reflection color) are shown to blue shift with applied DC field regardless of the photohistory and restore the notch position or image upon removal of the field. The ability to tune the reflection of the CLC bandgap on demand to the red or blue with multiple stimuli is a never before demonstrated effect that could have potential utility in lasing, optical filtering, or data communication applications.     

Investigation of interface roughness cross-correlation properties of optical thin films from total scattering losses

The interface roughness and interface roughness cross-correlation properties affect the scattering losses of high-quality optical thin films. In this paper, the theoretical models of light scattering induced by surface and interface roughness of optical thin films are concisely presented. Furthermore, influence of interface roughness cross-correlation properties to light scattering is analyzed by total scattering losses. Moreover, single-layer TiO₂ thin film thickness, substrate roughness of K9 glass and ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) technique effect on interface roughness cross-correlation properties are studied by experiments, respectively. A 17-layer dielectric quarter-wave high reflection multilayer is analyzed by total scattering losses. The results show that the interface roughness cross-correlation properties depend on TiO₂ thin film thickness, substrate roughness and deposition technique. The interface roughness cross-correlation properties decrease with the increase of film thickness or the decrease of substrates roughness. Furthermore, ion beam assisted deposition technique can increase the interface roughness cross-correlation properties of optical thin films. The measured total scattering losses of 17-layer dielectric quarter-wave high reflection multilayer deposited with IBAD indicate that completely correlated interface model can be observed, when substrate roughness is about 2.84 nm.