A novel beam-steering device that makes use of a nematic liquid crystal (LC) is proposed and demonstrated. The beam-steering function is attained with a LC microlens with a divided hole-patterned electrode structure (DE-LC microlens). Optical properties of the DE-LC microlens are investigated and three-dimensional variable-focusing and beam-steering properties are verified experimentally for the first time, to our knowledge.
Electrically controlled lens properties (liquid crystal microlens) can be obtained by utilizing molecular orientation effects in an axially symmetric nonuniform electric field. Excellent lens properties can be obtained using a symmetric electrode structure with hole-patterned electrodes on both substrates. Several kinds of optical properties have been investigated and characteristic phenomena of the liquid crystal microlens are discussed in terms of a molecular orientation model.
A small number of bifunctional monomers are mixed with a nematic liquid crystal (LC) and cured with a distributed electric field, which is produced by a circular-hole-patterned electrode structure. A gradient type of lens, that is, a LC microlens, is investigated for various polymer concentrations. Addition of 3% polymer is enough to freeze the gradient-index properties of the structure in the form of a convex lens, and a polymer-stabilized LC microlens is demonstrated. Although a lower concentration of polymer cannot hold the distribution properties in a curing process, it can maintain the variable focus as a nematic material can. The polymer networks can also eliminate the disclination line that usually appears and causes the lens in this type of LC device to deteriorate.
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