Dual-polarization liquid-crystal etalon filter

Details Dual-polarization liquid-crystal etalon filter Dual-polarization liquid-crystal etalon filter

1991-03-29

1992-05-05

Miller, Stanley D.

Optical: systems and elements

Holographic system or element

Using a hologram as an optical element

359 66, 359 93, 359 94, G02F 11335, G02F 1137, G01B 902

Patent

active

051113210

ABSTRACT:
A tunable dual-polarization liquid-crystal etalon filter, in which a Fabry-Perot cavity is set up between two end reflectors, preferably interference mirrors. A nematic liquid crystal fills a substantial portion of the Fabry-Perot cavity. The alignment layer adjacent to one end of the cavity is dividend into two portions, both of which are homogeneous but which are buffed in orthogonal directions so that they align the liquid crystal parallel to their surfaces but at orthogonal directions to each other. The other alignment layer is homeotropic so that it aligns the liquid crystal perpendicularly to its surface. Electrodes incorporated with each mirror apply a voltage across the liquid crystal so as to change the dielectric constant and thus the effective cavity length for radiation polarized along the alignment direction of the respective homogeneous portion. Because of the orthogonal buffing of the two homogeneous portions, they operate in equal amounts upon the two orthogonal polarizations. An input beam is divided between the two homogeneous portions. Preferably, both substrates upon which the filter is built are birefringent, e.g., calcite, so as to act as a polarization beam splitter and a recombiner.

REFERENCES:
patent: 4630898 (1986-12-01), Jewell
patent: 4779959 (1988-10-01), Saunders
patent: 4790634 (1988-12-01), Miller et al.
J. A. Patel et al., "Electrically tunable optical filter for infrared wavelength using liquid crystals in a Fabry-Perot etalon," Applied Physics Letters, 1990, vol. 57, pp. 1718-1720.

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