Polarization controllable Fresnel lens using dye-doped liquid crystals

A scattering-free, polarization controllable Fresnel zone plate lens is demonstrated using a photo-induced alignment of the dye-doped liquid crystal film. This photo-aligned liquid crystal zone plate provides orthogonal polarization states for odd and even zones. The different focus orders can be separated because of their different polarization states. The fabrication process is relatively simple and the operation voltage is less than 5 V(rms).

Polarization controllable spatial filter based on azo-dye-doped liquid-crystal film

This investigation establishes the feasibility of exploiting the surface-assisted photoalignment effect in dye-doped liquid-crystal (DDLC) films as spatial filters with controllable polarization in optical signal processing. The fabrication relies on the fact that the various intensities of the diffracted orders are responsible for various changes of the polarization state induced by the photoaligned DDLC film. Specific spatial orders in Fourier optical signal processing can be filtered by use of an analyzer placed behind the sample to control the polarization state of the diffracted orders. A simulation was performed, and the results agree closely with the experimental data.

Photorefractive effect induced by polarization gratings in dye-doped liquid crystals

We report on the photorefractive effect induced by a polarization grating in the presence of dc voltage in a dye-doped liquid-crystal (DDLC) film. The writing beams are two orthogonally (left- and right-circularly) polarized laser beams that create a spatially polarization-modulated interference field with constant intensity. The photorefractivity is ascribed to the absorption anisotropy of the azo dye. The unique dichroism of a DDLC cell causes a spatial variation in the absorption of light in response to a polarization-modulated interference field. Such a variation establishes a space-charge field in the presence of dc voltage, generating photorefractivity. Two-beam couplings were also verified and measured dynamically during the formation of the photorefractive grating in this study.

Laser-induced reorientation effect and ripple structure in dye-doped liquid-crystal films

The effects of light-induced reorientation on a homeotropical dye-doped liquid crystal (DDLC) cell are discussed. The photoexcited azo dye Methyl Red (MR) is diffused and adsorbed onto the substrate, thus forming a ripple structure. The adsorbed dye and the laser-induced ripple structure then reorient the liquid-crystal molecules and induce a holographic grating. Initially, the liquid-crystal directors are reoriented primarily by the adsorbed dye. However, given a sufficiently large ripple groove amplitude, the torque imposed by the ripple grooves overcomes that which is due to the adsorbed dyes, and the liquid crystals are realigned along the groove direction.