Submillisecond-Response Polymer Network Liquid Crystal Phase Modulators

A submillisecond-response and light scattering-free polymer-network liquid crystal (PNLC) for infrared spatial light modulators is demonstrated. Our new liquid crystal host exhibits a higher birefringence, comparable dielectric anisotropy, and slightly lower visco-elastic constant than a commonly employed commercial material, HTG-135200. Moreover, the electro-optical performance of our PNLCs with different monomer concentrations, cell gaps, and liquid crystal (LC) hosts is compared and discussed from four aspects: operating voltage, hysteresis, relaxation time, and light scattering loss. The temperature effect on hysteresis is also analyzed. Potential applications of PNLCs for laser beam steering and spatial light modulators especially in the infrared region are foreseeable.