In-Plane Operation of Alignment-Controlled Holographic Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystal

Abstract

A new mode of operation for an alignment-controlled holographic polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (HPDLC) device has been confirmed experimentally. In this mode, called in-plane operation, an electric field is applied parallel to the substrates. In the alignment-controlled HPDLC device, the polymer layers are formed periodically with aligned LC layers. We confirmed the fundamental operation of this in-plane mode experimentally. The polarization dependence of the reflected light proves that the LC molecules in the LC layers move in-plane. The in-plane operation makes the alignment-controlled HPDLC device polarization free.