Cartesian Polarizers Utilizing Photo-Aligned Liquid Crystals

摘要

Cartesian polarizers utilizing liquid crystal polymers (LCPs) are provided for use as laser protection filters in optical pick-up units. The LCPs are photo-aligned and cross-linked into a polymer host to provide a durable filter. According to one embodiment, the LCP molecules exhibit a cholesteric phase and are coupled to one or more quarter-wave retarders. According to another embodiment, the LCP molecules are used to form a multi-layer stack using the GBO effect.