Optical characterization of polymer dispersed liquid crystals for holographic recording

Abstract

In this study we present an extended investigation made on holographic polymer dispersed liquid crystals. A spectroscopic study of the photosensitive mixtures during the polymerization and phase separation process was performed, and an optical characterization of the recorded phase gratings was carried out using two alternative methods. The behavior of the diffraction efficiency of the transmission phase gratings versus time, angle of incidence, and wavelength was experimentally determined, and the results were successfully analyzed using the available theories for anisotropic phase gratings. Finally, the electro-optical properties concerning the beam deflection and response times were measured.