Simulations of a liquid-crystal-based electro-optical switch.

We present simulations of a novel liquid-crystal-based electro-optical device that enables a switching effect owing to a backreflection phenomenon. In the simulations, we exploit the optical properties of a liquid-crystal layer with a Freédericksz alignment in an unconventional way. The resulting switching effect of the proposed optical design can be controlled by means of an external electric field. Possible applications of the liquid-crystal device can be found in, but are not restricted to, optical communication systems and lighting applications.