| 摘要 |
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the deterioration of important characteristics such as an extinction ratio or cross talk and to attain a speed up of the response speed in switching of optical paths. SOLUTION: The liquid crystal optical switch is provided with a polarized light separation means 4 on which incident light L1 is made incident, a liquid crystal cell 1 on which both P polarized light and S polarized light, separated in the polarized light separation means 4, are made incident and a polarized light composition means 5 which combines the P polarized light and S polarized light into outgoing light L2 and emits it to the outside. The liquid crystal cell 1 is constituted so that two 45 deg. twisted nematic liquid crystal cells 2, 3, of which the sum total of cell gaps is equal to the cell gap of a 90 deg. twisted nematic liquid crystal cell are laminated so that rubbing directions c, d of their mutually adjacent insides 2a, 3a coincide with each other or be placed opposite to each other by 180 deg., and the voltages applied to the two 45 deg. twisted nematic liquid crystal cells are simultaneously turned on and off. |
