Electrically controlled optical attenuators and switches with ferroelectric liquid crystals

A. Karppinen Electronics Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Oulu, Technical Research Centre of Finland, P.O. Box 200, SF-90570, Oulu

S. Lottholz Electronics Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Oulu, Technical Research Centre of Finland, P.O. Box 200, SF-90570, Oulu

R. Myllylä Electronics Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Oulu, Technical Research Centre of Finland, P.O. Box 200, SF-90570, Oulu

G. Andersson Physics Department, Chalmers University of Technology, S-412 96, Goäteborg, Sweden

M. Matuszczyk Physics Department, Chalmers University of Technology, S-412 96, Goäteborg, Sweden

K. Skarp Physics Department, Chalmers University of Technology, S-412 96, Goäteborg, Sweden

I. Dahl Physics Department, Chalmers University of Technology, S-412 96, Goäteborg, Sweden

S. T. Lagerwall Physics Department, Chalmers University of Technology, S-412 96, Goäteborg, Sweden

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Abstract

Electro-optic modulators can be used as choppers, function generators or optical power controllers. The materials dealt with are PLZT ceramics and nematic LC compared with smectic A and C LCs. PLZT is fast in the scatter mode, but its contrast is poor. The NCAP nematic LC structure has a high contrast, but is slow. Both PLZT ceramics and smectic phases can achieve microsecond switching times in the polarization mode. The achieved contrast is high with PLZT, while with LCs it depends on the switching speed. A modulator based on polarization has a complicated structure when non-polarized light is used.

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Electrically controlled optical attenuators and switches with ferroelectric liquid crystals

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Electrically controlled optical attenuators and switches with ferroelectric liquid crystals

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