Reflected phase control using photopatterned chiral liquid crystals

Abstract

Cholesteric liquid crystals (ChLCs) selectively reflect circularly polarized light with the same handedness as their helix, owing to their self-organized helical structure. Conventionally, control of the reflectance of ChLCs had been the primary focus of research and applications such as reflective displays, color filters, and polarizers have been developed. On the other hand, we have recently reported that the optical phase of light reflected off ChLCs can be controlled in a planar device, by controlling the helix phase. By exploiting this phenomenon, the reflected wavefront from ChLCs can be designed arbitrarily, enabling optical functions such as deflection, lensing, and optical vortex generation from a planar cell.