Abstract
Phase imaging is employed to visualize the optical properties of an electrically controlled birefringent liquid crystal device with particular emphasis being paid to the electrode edges. The apparatus used is a modified Michelson interferometer and the data are manipulated on a personal computer using commercially available software. The phase variation of the element is in principle discontinuous at the electrode edge. However, a phase gradient is observed that is measured to extend beyond the electrode edges by 0.90 ± 0.05 mm for a directly driven 5 mm × 5 mm square electrode pattern in a 6.2 μm thick device which contains the nematic material E49 approximately 0.75 V above threshold. The phase gradient is discussed in terms of fringing of the electric fields and diffraction at the phase boundary in the element. © 1998 IOP Publishing Ltd.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1411-1423 |
Number of pages | 12 |
Journal | Pure and Applied Optics (Print edition) (United Kingdom) |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Nov 1998 |