A Switchable Cholesteric Phase Grating with a Low Operating Voltage

We demonstrate a simple fabrication method of uniform-lying-helix (ULH) cholesteric liquid crystal (ChLC) cell for phase grating device applications. To utilize stable ULH state, we set the pitches ChLCs as half gap to obtain fingerprint texture with homeotropic anchoring. With given period, diffraction efficiency can be maximized by optimizing gap. found that fabricated provide large angle 10° and low operating voltage 3 V 30%. expect potential applications optics, optical interconnects, beam steering devices.