A switchable cholesteric phase grating with a low operating voltage

Abstract

We demonstrate a simple fabrication method of a uniform-lying-helix (ULH) cholesteric liquid crystal (ChLC) cell for phase grating device applications. To utilize a stable ULH state, we set the pitches of ChLCs as half of the cell gap to obtain the fingerprint texture with homeotropic anchoring. With the given grating period, the diffraction efficiency of the ULH cell can be maximized by optimizing the cell gap. We found that the fabricated grating device can provide a large diffraction angle of 10◦ and a low operating voltage of 3 V with a diffraction efficiency of 30%. We expect potential applications of the device for diffraction optics, optical interconnects, and beam steering devices.