Kent State University

The University Court of the University of Aberdeen

Andrii Varanytsia

Liang-Chy Chien

Kai-Han Chang

Oleg D Lavrentovich

Peter Palffy-Muhoray

Jie V Xiang

Fred Minkowski

John M Storey

Corrie T Imrie

Daniel E Paterson

A lasing device includes an active layer comprising a cholesteric liquid crystal material and a laser dye, and a liquid crystal cell including spaced apart substrates defining a cell gap in which the active layer is disposed. The substrates include electrodes arranged to bias the active layer into an oblique helicoidal (Ch) state. At least one substrate of the liquid crystal cell is optically transparent for a lasing wavelength range of the device.

Electrically tunable laser with cholesteric liquid crystal heliconical structure

Liquid crystal lenses of different apertures with suppressed chromatic aberration utilizing twisted vertical alignment configuration are demonstrated. A plurality of substrates are provided with electrodes, including a patterned electrode to generate a lens effect. The liquid crystal material is homeotropically aligned, such as via alignment layers. Setting the ratio between cell thickness and chiral pitch of the cholesteric liquid crystals provides correction of axial chromatic aberrations of electrically-tunable focal lengths in the device.

Achromatic liquid crystal lens with a chiral nematic liquid crystal

A bistable liquid crystal spatial light modulating (SLM) device (SLM) device utilizes the homeotropic and bubble domain texture change of a cholesteric liquid crystal that is responsive to external stimuli, such as electric voltage, light and pressure. The SLM device is configured to be switched between the two stable textures of the bubble domain texture or the fingerprint texture. In addition, the SLM device may be switched between transparent and light-scattering states by the application of an electric field, light irradiation or physical/mechanical pressure. The light transmission state and the light-scattering states of the present invention are also stable in time at zero voltage, and are reversible upon the application of an external field at a different voltage, frequency or wavelength of light.

Bistable liquid crystal light-modulating device

Growing community of inventors

Kent, OH, United States of America

Andrii Varanytsia