Liquid crystal waveguide

• US 3,963,310 A
• Filed: 08/20/1973
• Issued: 06/15/1976
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/1973
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Original Assignee: the united states of america as represented by the secretary of the navy
• Inventors: Schnur, Joel M., Giallorenzi, Thomas G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bauer, Edward S.
• Application Number:
  US05/389,776
• Time in Patent Office: 1,030 Days
• Field of Search: 350/96 WG, 350/160 LC
• US Class Current: 349/196
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/126 using polarisation effects G02B6/1226 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1326 Liquid crystal optical waveguides or liquid crystal cells specially adapted for gating or modulating between optical waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/295 Analog deflection from or in an optical waveguide structure]

Abstract

An optical waveguide, which combines a thin film of aligned liquid-crystal sandwiched between two dielectric plates, is capable of performing many active optical processing functions such as modulation switching and beam deflection.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal optical waveguide, which comprises

a transparent substrate,

a transparent plate spaced from said substrate parallel therewith,

a liquid crystal waveguide medium placed between said transparent substrate and said transparent plate in surface contact therewith and having an index of refraction greater than that of said substrate and said plate,

means to apply an electric field to said liquid crystal to cause dynamic scattering,

means to couple light into said liquid crystal waveguide medium so that the light is guided through the liquid crystal medium between said substrate and said transparent plate in a direction paralleling said substrate and said plate, and

means to couple light out of said liquid crystal medium.

2. A liquid-crystal optical waveguide as claimed in claim 1;

wherein,

said means to apply an electrical field to said liquid medium is one pair of oppositely disposed electrodes fixed relative to said liquid-crystal medium.

3. A liquid-crystal optical waveguide as claimed in claim 2;

which includes,

an electrical source for applying an electrical field between said pairs of electrodes.

4. A liquid-crystal optical waveguide as claimed in claim 3;

in which,

the electrical field between each pair of electrodes is variable.

5. A liquid-crystal optical waveguide as claimed in claim 1;

which includes,

means for aligning said liquid-crystal to said substrate.

6. A liquid-crystal optical waveguide as claimed in claim 5;

wherein,

means for aligning said liquid-crystal to said substrate is a monolayer of surfactant.

7. A liquid-crystal optical waveguide as claimed in claim 1;

in which,

said liquid-crystal is nematic.