DYNAMIC LIQUID CRYSTAL GEL HOLOGRAMS

摘要

A switchable dynamic hologram (2) is formed in anisotropic liquid crystal (LC) gel materials (10) wherein anisotropy results from macroscopic alignment of the LC. By applying an electric field (8), the orientation of part of the liquid crystals can be altered and the hologram can be turned on and off. Using LC gels allows for holographic elements with no diffraction in the voltage off state (V = 0) so that the hologram appears only during application of an electric field (V ? 0). Also, the anisotropic LC gels maintain polarization dependence. The dynamic holograms are suitable in e.g. dynamic holographic optical components whereby an optical function can be included/excluded in a beam path without introducing or removing elements.