Premium
Gratings: Light‐Driven Wide‐Range Nonmechanical Beam Steering and Spectrum Scanning Based on a Self‐Organized Liquid Crystal Grating Enabled by a Chiral Molecular Switch (Advanced Optical Materials 2/2015)
Author(s) -
Jau HungChang,
Li Yannian,
Li ChengChang,
Chen ChunWei,
Wang ChunTa,
Bisoyi Hari Krishna,
Lin TsungHsien,
Bunning Timothy J.,
Li Quan
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
advanced optical materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.89
H-Index - 91
ISSN - 2195-1071
DOI - 10.1002/adom.201570011
Subject(s) - materials science , beam steering , grating , liquid crystal , diffraction grating , optics , optoelectronics , diffraction efficiency , beam (structure) , light beam , diffraction , physics
A compact light‐driven beam‐steering device splits white light into a rainbow, enabling nonmechanical tuning of the diffraction angle. On page 166, it is fabricated by T.‐H. Lin, Q. Li, and co‐workers with a thin film of a self‐organized cholesteric liquid crystal grating containing a photosensitive chiral molecular switch. With the aid of the molecular switch, the grating period can vary reversibly in response to purple and green irradiation. The steering range tunability of around 30° boosts the applicability of such devices in light‐propagation control, spectroscopic applications, and beyond.