Radially and Azimuthally Oriented Liquid Crystal Alignment Patterns Fabricated By Linearly Polarized Ultraviolet Exposure Process

Model of liquid crystal alignment by exposure to linearly polarized ultraviolet light.

A simple theoretical model of liquid crystal ͑LC͒ alignment by exposure to linearly polarized ultraviolet ͑UV͒ light is proposed. The model predicts a universal relationship describing the change of the LC anchoring direction with exposure times, and the changes of polarization direction for the case of a double linearly polarized UV exposure process. This relationship is quantitatively confirmed b...

Mechanism of Unidirectional Liquid-Crystal Alignment on Polyimides with Linearly Polarized Ultraviolet Light Exposure

Generation of Radially Polarized Beams Using Optically Patterned Liquid Crystals

Radially polarizing liquid crystal (LC) devices aligned optically were investigated for applications in laser technology. Presently, radially polarized beams are generated through complex laser resonator configurations or buffing of LC alignment layers. Optically aligned LC devices offer several advantages over these methods, including their simple fabrication, low cost, high laser damage thres...

Form-birefringent space-variant inhomogeneous medium element for shaping point-spread functions.

We experimentally characterize the properties of an element that generates a doughnutlike point-spread function by converting the linearly polarized incident field to radially or azimuthally polarized light utilizing space-variant inhomogeneous medium (SVIM) form-birefringent subwavelength structures. To fabricate the high-aspect-ratio SVIM structures, we developed a chemically assisted ion-bea...

Alignment of Liquid Crystals on Polyimide Films Exposed To Ultraviolet Light

The influence of unpolarized and linearly polarized UV exposure on previously rubbed as well untreated thin polyimide ͑PI͒ alignment layers was studied. Optical retardation and surface morphology measurements were carried out to understand the nature of surface modification as a function of the polarization and the exposure time of the UV light under different surface conditions. The exposure of ...