Liquid crystal microlenses based on binary surface alignment controlled by focused ion beam treatment

We report the formation of high optical power microlenses in the near-surface region of the liquid crystal layer. Such microlenses, possessing a very small focal length f at a rather large aperture A ( f / A ∼ 2 ), are able to focus the light into spots of a characteristic size comparable with the w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Optics letters 2021-07, Vol.46 (14), p.3376-3379
Main Authors: Palto, Serguei P., Geivandov, Artur R., Kasyanova, Irina V., Simdyankin, Ivan V., Artemov, Vladimir V., Gorkunov, Maxim V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alignment
Arrays
Ion beams
Liquid crystals
Microlenses
Optical properties
Thickness
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Summary:We report the formation of high optical power microlenses in the near-surface region of the liquid crystal layer. Such microlenses, possessing a very small focal length f at a rather large aperture A ( f / A ∼ 2 ), are able to focus the light into spots of a characteristic size comparable with the wavelength. Using numerical modeling, a specific patterning profile of a liquid crystal (LC) alignment surface by an ion beam is proposed to provide the aligning properties necessary for the formation of an array of microlenses with a focal length comparable to the LC cell thickness. The proposed microlens arrays are produced, and their optical properties are discussed.
ISSN:0146-9592
1539-4794
DOI:10.1364/OL.426904