Field alignment of bent-core smectic liquid crystals for analog optical phase modulation

A general method for aligning bent-core smectic liquid crystal materials is described. Alternating electric fields between interdigitated electrodes patterned on one cell surface create torques on the liquid crystal that result in uniform bookshelf orientation of the smectic layers. The aligned cell can then be driven in the conventional way by applying an electric field between all of the stripe electrodes connected together and a monolithic electrode on the other cell surface. Fast, analog, optical phase-only modulation is demonstrated in a device containing a polar, bent-core SmAPF material aligned using this technique. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.