Helix unwinding in ferroelectric liquid crystals induced by tilted electric field

Helix unwinding in ferroelectric liquid crystals induced by an electric field is theoretically studied on the basis of the continuum theory. By applying a weak electric field tilted to the smectic layers, the contribution of the dielectric interaction energy density to the total free energy density is increased. Approximation methods are used to calculate the free energy for different tilt angles between the electric field and the smectic layers. The obtained results suggest selecting the optimal number of pitches in the film that matches to the minimum of the free energy.

Kerr effect and Kerr constant enhancement in vertically aligned deformed helix ferroelectric liquid crystals

In this article,we review recently achieved Kerr effect progress in novel liquid crystal（LC） material：vertically aligned deformed helix ferroelectric liquid crystal（VADHFLC）.With an increasing applied electric field,the induced inplane birefringence of LCs shows quadratic nonlinearity.The theoretical calculations and experimental details are illustrated.With an enhanced Kerr constant to 130 nm/V2,this VADHFLC cell can achieve a 2π modulation by a small efficient electric field with a fast response around 100 μs and thus can be employed in both display and photonics devices.

Ferroelectric liquid crystals for fast switchable circular Dammann grating [Invited]

Diffractive optical elements attract a considerable amount of attention, mainly due to their potential applications in imaging coding, optical sensing, etc. Application of ferroelectric liquid crystals(FLCs) with photoalignment technology in diffractive optical elements results in a high efficiency and a fast response time. In this study we demonstrate a circular Dammann grating(CDG) with a diffraction efficiency of 84.5%. The achieved response time of 64 μs is approximately two orders of magnitude faster than the existing response time of nematic liquid crystal devices. By applying a low electric field(V = 6 V) to the FLC CDG, it is switched between the eight-order diffractive state and the transmissive diffraction-free state.

Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Optical Switches

The dynamic response of molecular orientation, and the temperature and pulse shape dependences of the switching behavior in ferroelectric liquid crystal are described. The switching speed and the surface energy of ferroelectric liquid crystal are given.

Analysis of Dielectric and Electro-optic Responses of Nanomaterials Doped Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Mixture

Dielectric and rotational viscosity measurements of a multi-component ferroelectric liquid crystal mixture were performed by adding a small concentration （0.01 wt%） of silica and multi walled carbon nanotubes （MWCNTs）. Liquid crystals turn out to be outstanding hosts for nanomaterials. A remarkable increase in the rotational viscosity was noticed in CNT doped system as compared to silica doped same liquid crystal system. Comparison of dielectric studies shows higher value of permittivity and dielectric losses for silica-doped sample than those of CNT doped sample. The results have been interpreted both experimentally and theoretically.

Charge distribution into illuminated dye-doped surface stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal cell

Surface stabilized （anti） ferroelectric liquid crystal cells can be used as an optically addressed media for optical data processing. The structure of the cell has to contain a photo sensible agent, i.e, an absorbing dye-doped orienting layer. The all-optical generation of the diffractive grating can be done due to the switching parameters of the smectic slab within cells with a sensitive layer. This Letter considers a study of the optically induced charge generation into the dye-doped layer, and the explanation of the phenomena of the selective molecular director reorientation, while cell driving what leads to the induction of phase grating.

Dynamic modulation performance of ferroelectric liquid crystal polarization rotators and Mueller matrix polarimeter optimization

A ferroelectric liquid crystal polarization rotator(FLCPR)has been widely used in polarization measurement due to its fast and stable modulation characteristics.The accurate characterization of the modulation performance of FLCPR directly affects the measurement accuracy of the instrument based on liquid crystal modulation.In this study,FLCPR is accurately characterized using a self-developed high-speed Stokes polarimeter.Strong linear and weak circular birefringence are observed during modulation processes,and all the optical parameters of FLCPR are dependent on driving voltage.A dual FLCPR-based Mueller matrix polarimeter is designed on the basis of the Stokes polarimeter.The designed polarimeter combines the advantages of the high modulation frequency of FLCPR and the ultrahigh temporal resolution of the fast polarization measurement system in the Stokes polarimeter.The optimal configuration of the designed polarizer is predicted in accordance with singular value decomposition.A simulated thickness measurement of a 24 nm standard SiO2 thin film is performed using the optimal configuration.Results show that the relative error in thickness measurement caused by using the unsatisfactory modulation characteristics of FLCPR reaches up to−4.34%.This finding demonstrates the importance of the accurate characterization of FLCPR in developing a Mueller matrix polarizer.

Electro–optic response in thin smectic C* film with chevron structures

The effects in electrostatic models of chevron surface-stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystals are investigated through numerical modeling. To study smectic C＊ director distribution within the cell, we consider two nonlinear approaches： the chevron interface does not interplay with the electric field; the electric field interplays with the chevron interface. The obtained results of the director field distribution are compared with the earlier linearized studies. We find that whether or not the electric field interplays with the chevron interface, the electro-optic response requires a generalized approach for its description. The threshold electric field, which is necessary for switching between two stable director states in the chevron cell is evaluated. This study suggests that, in many cases of practical interest, electro-optic response to the electric field and the threshold electric field can be precisely estimated. We argue that, beside being numerically efficient, our approach provides a convenient and a novel standpoint for looking at the electro-optic response problem.