Open AccessAC electric field assisted photo-induced high efficiency orientational diffractive grating in nematic liquid crystals
Author(s) -
S. Liang,
Wing-Kee Lee,
Wei Wang
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.14.002197
Subject(s) - liquid crystal , homeotropic alignment , electric field , optics , materials science , grating , diffraction efficiency , diffraction grating , diffraction , doping , scattering , refractive index , light scattering , condensed matter physics , optoelectronics , physics , quantum mechanics
An orientational grating with reduced scattering noise is formed in fullerene-doped and undoped homeotropic nematic liquid crystal cells by simultaneous application of both spatially modulated light and ac electric field. The first-order diffraction efficiency obtained in the fullerene-doped cell reaches ~30 %, approaching the maximum value predicted by theory. Effective nonlinear index coefficient is ~0.9 cm2/W and ~1000 times larger than previous observations in C(60)-doped nematic liquid crystals using a dc field. Grating formation time can be as short as 1 s, which is ~100 times shorter than those found by us using a dc field and previous studies.