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Ultrafast Switching Liquid Crystals for Electro-Optic Transmissive and Reflective Displays and Microscopic Lasers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 January 2011

Harry J Coles ,
Stephen M Morris ,
Flynn Castles ,
Philip J W Hands ,
Timothy D Wilkinson  and
Su Soek Choi
Harry J Coles
Affiliation:
Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics, Electrical Engineering Division, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0FA, UK.
Stephen M Morris
Affiliation:
Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics, Electrical Engineering Division, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0FA, UK.
Flynn Castles
Affiliation:
Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics, Electrical Engineering Division, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0FA, UK.
Philip J W Hands
Affiliation:
Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics, Electrical Engineering Division, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0FA, UK.
Timothy D Wilkinson
Affiliation:
Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics, Electrical Engineering Division, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0FA, UK.
Su Soek Choi
Affiliation:
Centre of Molecular Materials for Photonics and Electronics, Electrical Engineering Division, University of Cambridge, 9 JJ Thomson Avenue, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0FA, UK.
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Abstract

We report on novel liquid crystals with extremely large flexoelectric coefficients in a range of ultra-fast photonic modes, namely 1) the uniform lying helix, that leads to in-plain switching, birefringence phase devices with 100 μs switching times at low fields, i.e.2-5 V/μm, and analogue or grey scale capability, 2) the uniform standing helix, using planar surface alignment and in-plane fields, with sub ms response times and optical contrasts in excess of 5000:1 with a perfect optically isotropic or black “off state”, 3) the wide temperature range blue phase that leads to field controlled reflective color, 4) chiral nematic optical reflectors electric field tunable over a wide wavelength range and 5) high slope efficiency, wide wavelength range tunable narrow linewidth microscopic liquid crystal lasers.

Keywords

liquid crystallaseroptoelectronic
Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 1293: Symposium L – Liquid-Crystal Materials—Beyond Displays , 2011 , mrsf10-1293-l03-01
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2011

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References

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