Liquid crystal (LC) director distributions and optical phase profiles in LC micro-lens-array (LC-MLA) are studied by using a three-dimensional (3D) numerical calculation method. The LC-MLA design employs twodivided and tetragonally-patterned electrode structure in a flat nematic LC cell. The possibilities of prism and lenslike phase difference distributions in the rectangular aperture region of the LC-MLA are discussed. The LC molecular orientation distributions in the rectangular region can be estimated and its phase profile can be predicted fairly well by the calculations.
We develop a three-dimensional imaging system by using a low-voltage-driving liquid crystal (LC) lens for determining depth mapping properties of three-dimensional objects. The sequential photo images without the magnification and reduction are taken by electrically controlling a focal plane along a depth direction with no mechanical movements. The depth mapping properties can be obtained by processing an image digital filter from the different focal images.
We propose a low-driving-voltage multifocal liquid crystal (LC) lens such as a concave lens inside a convex lens. The multifocal LC lens is prepared using a glass substrate with a transparent circularly hole-patterned electrode, an additional ring electrode inside, and a center electrode. The multifocal lens properties are attained, and the focal length of the concave lens and/or convex lens can be changed by applying low voltages to the electrodes.
We study the electro-optical properties of the nematic liquid crystal (LC) cells such as a homogenously aligned nematic LC cell and twisted nematic (TN) LC cell fabricated with polished silicon wafers in a far-infrared wavelength region. The birefringence of the nematic LC material at the wavelength of about 10 μm is estimated by applying a voltage to the homogenously aligned LC cell under crossed infrared-wire-grid polarizers. The application of the TN LC cell into an optical shutter in the far-infrared region for electrically controlling the transmitted light intensity is demonstrated and discussed.
We propose a liquid crystal (LC) micro-lens array with two-divided and hexagonal-hole-patterned electrodes for varying a focal length and a beam deflection angle. The possibilities of lens-like refractive index distributions in the hexagonal region of the LC micro-lens array are discussed. We investigate the optical properties such as the focal length and beam deflection of the micro-lens array by measuring the refractive index distributions and the transmitted light intensity distributions.
The microscope system in combination with a digital image processing is developed for determining all-focused images and depth mapping properties of microscopic objects by using a liquid crystal (LC) lens with a variable focal length. The objects can be selectively illuminated by using a light emitting diode (LED) ring illumination with controllable switching each LED. Three-dimensional distributions of the microscopic objects are determined by applying voltages to the electrodes of the LC lens and tuning a focal plane in a depth direction.
A novel optical manipulation system for controlling three-dimensional positions and rotation of
trapped microscopic rods is proposed by using a liquid crystal (LC) device with unique functions such as
an anamorphic lens property in addition to both variable-focusing and deflection properties. Arranging
the control voltages of the LC optical device, the laser beam can be focused with any elliptical cross
section. The trapped slender object is aligned along the rotatable major axis of the elliptically shaped
laser beam spot and can be shifted three-dimensionally.
We propose optical phase-control devices using a liquid crystal (LC) material without applying a voltage, and demonstrate a composite alignment of LC molecules on a substrate with a patterned photo-resist film, where LC molecules are partly aligned parallel and perpendicular directions divided into very small areas on the substrate. The patterned film such as randomly distributed circular areas of small diameter size is fabricated by using a photo-mask and a photolithography technique. The LC cells are prepared using the locally composite alignment substrate and a perpendicular alignment substrate. The optical phase of the transmission light through the different pattern density regions was measured. Then, it is found that the optical retardation of the higher pattern density region is larger than that of the lower one.
We propose a high-speed optical measurement method for determining cell parameters such as cell thicknesses and twist angles of reflective liquid crystal (LC) cells. A polarization-converting device prepared using a circularly-homogeneously aligned LC (CH-LC) cell and a charge couple device (CCD) camera are used. The spatial light intensity distribution from the reflective LC cell through the CH-LC cell and the local minimum point are measured. Then the cell parameters can be derived by using the coordinate values of the point and the Jones matrix analysis.
We propose a laser manipulation (optical tweezers) system for controlling microscopic objects by using a liquid crystal (LC) optical device with variable focusing and beam deflection properties. The focused spot, that is the position of the trapped particles can be controlled and moved by the change of the optical properties of the LC optical device by applying the voltage to the LC cell.
An optical measurement method to determine the cell thickness of reflective liquid crystal (LC) cells is prepared using a polarization-converting device such as a circularly-homogeneously aligned LC (CH-LC) cell and a charge couple device (CCD) camera. Since the minimum point of the spatial light intensity distribution from the reflective LC cell is measured in real time through the CH-LC cell, and then the cell thickness can be derived by the Jones matrix analysis. This method has an advantage that the measurement of the cell thickness is not affected by the reflection component from the surface and interface of glass substrates.
Stokes parameter methods to determine cell parameters such as a pretilt angle, thickness and twist angle in reflective liquid crystal (LC) cells have been developed by measuring Stokes parameters of reflected light at plural wavelengths. The cell thickness can be determined by measuring one-wavelength Stokes parameters including a near-infrared wavelength, and both the cell thickness and twist angle can also be determined by calculating the Stokes parameter at two wavelengths. Furthermore, these cell parameters containing the pretilt angle as well as cell the cell thickness and twist angle can be determined by using Stokes parameters at three wavelengths. These methods can be applied to determine two-dimensional (2D) cell parameter distributions of the reflective LC cell by using a high resolution CCD camera.
We propose a two-dimensional (2D) and hyperfine measurement method for precisely determining cell parameter distributions such as a cell thickness and twist angle in color liquid crystal (LC) displays. The 2D cell thickness and twist angle distributions can easily be determined by measuring Stokes parameters of all pixels for red, green and blue in LCD panel at a wavelength of near-infrared region, because the transmission light at the wavelength is not absorbed by each color filter. In addition, the spatial resolution can be improved by increasing the magnification of the objective lens in front of a high resolution CCD camera. These cell parameters of each pixel in the practical LCD panel are compared and discussed.
We develop the novel optical device for controlling the polarization state using liquid crystal (LC) and eight-divided hole-patterned electrodes which are coated with weak anchoring alignment films. The LC director can be reoriented by applying in-plane electric fields and the other electric fields across a cell thickness layer, and then polarization state of light transmitted trough the hole-patterned region can be controlled. The design and the electrical and optical properties of the LC device are briefly discussed.
The multi-sensing system for detecting external electric fields and decomposition products of SF6 is proposed by using a nematic liquid crystal (LC) cell sandwiched with two cholesteric LC cells and a corner cube prism coated with dye films. The electric field and the decomposition products can be measured as changes in optical retardations of the nematic LC cell at a selective reflection band of the cholesteric LC and as the absorption changes of the dye films at different wavelength regions outside the selective reflection band, respectively. Furthermore, we discuss the dependence of the sensitivity to the electric field on the molecular orientation and the anchoring strength of the alignment layer in the nematic LC cells.
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