LIQUID CRYSTAL POLARIZATION CONTROL ELEMENT

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a liquid crystal polarization control element capable of being used even for a high luminance laser by generating the helical arrangement of liquid crystal molecules while adding double refraction polymer into arbitrary areas of one cell and generating many beamlets polarized in an arbitrary direction in one beam. SOLUTION: Oriented films 3a. 3b are closely adhered to glass substrates 2a, 2b are oriented film sides are oppositery arranged and nematic liquid crystal 5 is hermetically sealed between them to be made to be a liquid crystal cell. Pigments of double refraction high polymer are added to the oriented film 3a of one side of the films and pigments having an extraodinary ray axis in a direction parallel with a set direction are remained and other pigments are made to vanish double reflectivity. The oriented film 3b of other side is processed so as to be oriented uniformly. When the laser beam of a linearly polarized light is made incident on the described cell, the linearly polarized light is partially rotated in prescribed areas and beamlets having the linearly polarized light of an arbitrary direction are obtained.