Liquid crystal light valve with minimized double reflection
First Claim
1. In a reflective liquid crystal light valve apparatus including a window layer for receiving an incoming light beam, a transparent conductive layer, a reflective layer, a liquid crystal layer interposed between said reflective layer and said transparent conductive layer wherein said transparent conductive layer is interposed between said liquid crystal layer and said window layer, and a line spectrum light source for transmitting light through said window layer said transparent conductive layer and said liquid crystal layer to said reflective layer, to be reflected back through said liquid crystal layer, said transparent conductive layer, and said window layer wherein said reflective liquid crystal light valve apparatus has interference fringes at a first interface between said window layer and said transparent conductive layer and at a second interface between said transparent conductive layer and said liquid crystal layer, an improved reflective liquid crystal light valve apparatus comprising:
- means, located between said window layer and said transparent conductive layer and between said transparent conductive layer and said liquid crystal layer, for decreasing reflection of light from said first and second interfaces to less than 0.3% for light having wavelengths from 400-700 nm.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A reflective liquid crystal light valve includes transparent conductive layers of indium tin oxide (30) employed as an electrode to electrically modulate orientation of molecules of a liquid crystal material that receives a high intensity reading light (40) applied through the transparent electrode. Unwanted double reflection (64,66) from interfaces between the indium tin oxide electrode (30) and adjacent layers (22,32) are minimized by application of broad band anti-reflective coatings (70,72,74,76) formed by one or more pairs of thin layers having alternately high and low indices of refraction.
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Citations
22 Claims
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1. In a reflective liquid crystal light valve apparatus including a window layer for receiving an incoming light beam, a transparent conductive layer, a reflective layer, a liquid crystal layer interposed between said reflective layer and said transparent conductive layer wherein said transparent conductive layer is interposed between said liquid crystal layer and said window layer, and a line spectrum light source for transmitting light through said window layer said transparent conductive layer and said liquid crystal layer to said reflective layer, to be reflected back through said liquid crystal layer, said transparent conductive layer, and said window layer wherein said reflective liquid crystal light valve apparatus has interference fringes at a first interface between said window layer and said transparent conductive layer and at a second interface between said transparent conductive layer and said liquid crystal layer, an improved reflective liquid crystal light valve apparatus comprising:
means, located between said window layer and said transparent conductive layer and between said transparent conductive layer and said liquid crystal layer, for decreasing reflection of light from said first and second interfaces to less than 0.3% for light having wavelengths from 400-700 nm. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. In a reflective liquid crystal light valve apparatus including a transparent conductive counter-electrode, a dielectric mirror, a first alignment film, a liquid crystal material, a second alignment film, and a window layer, an improved reflective liquid crystal light valve comprising:
means located adjacent opposite sides of said transparent conductive counter-electrode, for minimizing reflection of light from interfaces between said window layer and said transparent conductive counter-electrode and between said transparent conductive counter-electrode and said first alignment film to less than 0.3% for light having wavelengths from 400-700 nm. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. In a reflective liquid crystal light valve apparatus including a window layer for receiving an incoming light beam, a transparent conductive layer, a reflective layer, a liquid crystal layer interposed between the reflective and transparent conductive layers, said transparent conductive layer being interposed between said liquid crystal layer and said window layer and having interference fringes due to reflection at a first interface between said window layer and said transparent conductive layer and at a second interface between said transparent conductive layer and said liquid crystal layer, and a line spectrum light source for transmitting light through said window and said transparent conductive layer and said liquid crystal layer to said reflective layer, to be reflected back through said liquid crystal layer, said transparent conductive layer and said window layer, an improved reflective liquid crystal light valve comprising:
means, located adjacent opposite sides of said transparent conductive layer, for decreasing reflection of light from said first and second interfaces to less than 0.3% for light having wavelengths from 400-700 nm, wherein said means for decreasing comprises five pairs of anti-reflection layers interposed between said transparent conductive layer and said window layer and said transparent conductive layer and said liquid crystal. - View Dependent Claims (22)
Specification