High-damage-threshold static laser beam shaping using optically patterned liquid-crystal devices

Beam shaping of coherent laser beams is demonstrated using liquid crystal (LC) cells with optically patterned pixels. The twist angle of a nematic LC is locally set to either 0 or 90° by an alignment layer prepared via exposure to polarized UV light. The two distinct pixel types induce either no pol...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Optics letters 2011-10, Vol.36 (20), p.4035-4037
Main Authors: DORRER, C, WEI, S. K.-H, LEUNG, P, VARGAS, M, WEGMAN, K, BOULE, J, ZHAO, Z, MARSHALL, K. L, CHEN, S. H
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Display devices, liquid-crystal devices
Exact sciences and technology
Fundamental areas of phenomenology (including applications)
Optical elements, devices, and systems
Optics
Physics
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Summary:Beam shaping of coherent laser beams is demonstrated using liquid crystal (LC) cells with optically patterned pixels. The twist angle of a nematic LC is locally set to either 0 or 90° by an alignment layer prepared via exposure to polarized UV light. The two distinct pixel types induce either no polarization rotation or a 90° polarization rotation, respectively, on a linearly polarized optical field. An LC device placed between polarizers functions as a binary transmission beam shaper with a highly improved damage threshold compared to metal beam shapers. Using a coumarin-based photoalignment layer, various devices have been fabricated and tested, with a measured single-shot nanosecond damage threshold higher than 30 J/cm2.
ISSN:0146-9592
1539-4794
DOI:10.1364/OL.36.004035