30 to 50 ns liquid-crystal optical switches

30 to 50 ns liquid-crystal optical switches.

The optical switching time of twisted-nematic liquid-crystal cells using the liquid crystals, 5CB (C(5)H(11)-Ph-Ph-CN), 5OCB(C(5)H(11)-O-Ph-Ph-CN) and PCH5 (C(5)H(11)-Cy-Ph-CN) have been characterized as a function of temperature, bias voltage and switching voltage, V. The transition time from 90% to 10% transmission scales as V(-1.9) and is limited to 30 to 50 ns by the liquid-crystal breakdow...

Liquid-Crystal Optical Switches

The optical switching times of liquid-crystal cells using 5CB, 5OCB and PCH5 liquid crystal materials have been characterized as a function of applied voltage, V, and temperature, T. The transition time from 90 to 10 % transmission scales as V and is limited to 50 to 30 ns by the breakdown electric field, ~ 10 V cm of the liquid crystal. The time from the initial voltage step to 90 % transmissi...

Liquid-Crystal Optical Switches and Signal Processors

With increasing interest and required features in dynamically reconfigurable network architectures [1], compact non-mechanical optical signal processors are in great demand to develop reliable, fast-reconfiguring, energy/space-efficient network elements such as dynamic add/drop multiplexers, dynamic optical routers and all-optical cross connects with signal regulation functionality. Liquid crys...

Sub-millisecond nematic liquid crystal switches using patterned command layer

Optical vortices from liquid crystal droplets.

We report on the generation of mono- and polychromatic optical phase singularities from micron-sized birefringent droplets. This is done experimentally by using liquid crystal droplets whose three dimensional architecture of the optical axis is controlled within the bulk by surfactant agents. Because of its microscopic size these optical vortex generators are optically trapped and manipulated a...