Modal Phase Modulators Based on Liquid Crystals with 3D-Printed Polymer Microstructures: Increasing Size and Complexity

Xu, Alec; Nourshargh, Camron; Salter, Patrick S.; Elston, Steve J.; Morris, Stephen M.; Booth, Martin J.

doi:10.3390/photonics11030266

Open AccessArticle

Modal Phase Modulators Based on Liquid Crystals with 3D-Printed Polymer Microstructures: Increasing Size and Complexity

by

Alec Xu

,

Camron Nourshargh

,

Patrick S. Salter

,

Steve J. Elston

,

Stephen M. Morris

and

Martin J. Booth

^*

Department of Engineering Science, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PJ, UK

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Photonics 2024, 11(3), 266; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11030266

Submission received: 12 January 2024 / Revised: 22 February 2024 / Accepted: 10 March 2024 / Published: 15 March 2024

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liquid Crystals in Photonics)

Download

Browse Figures

Versions Notes

Abstract

We present extended capabilities in simple liquid crystal-based devices that are applicable to adaptive optics and other related fields requiring wavefront manipulation. The laser-written devices can provide complex phase profiles, but are extremely simple to operate, requiring only a single electrode pair tuned between 0 and 10 V RMS. Furthermore, the devices operate in the transmissive mode for easy integration into the optical path. We present here as examples three such devices: the first device reproduces the defocus Zernike polynomial; the second device reproduces a seventh-order Zernike polynomial, tertiary coma; and the last example is of a primary spherical aberration. All devices offer wavelength-scale wavefront manipulation up to more than

2 π

radians peak-to-peak phase at a wavelength of 660 nm. The coma correction device is significantly more complex, reproducing a mode two orders higher than previous demonstrations, while the spherical device is nearly a full order of magnitude larger, measuring 2 mm in diameter.

Keywords: adaptive optics; liquid crystals; Zernike modes; direct laser writing

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Xu, A.; Nourshargh, C.; Salter, P.S.; Elston, S.J.; Morris, S.M.; Booth, M.J. Modal Phase Modulators Based on Liquid Crystals with 3D-Printed Polymer Microstructures: Increasing Size and Complexity. Photonics 2024, 11, 266. https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11030266

AMA Style

Xu A, Nourshargh C, Salter PS, Elston SJ, Morris SM, Booth MJ. Modal Phase Modulators Based on Liquid Crystals with 3D-Printed Polymer Microstructures: Increasing Size and Complexity. Photonics. 2024; 11(3):266. https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11030266

Chicago/Turabian Style

Xu, Alec, Camron Nourshargh, Patrick S. Salter, Steve J. Elston, Stephen M. Morris, and Martin J. Booth. 2024. "Modal Phase Modulators Based on Liquid Crystals with 3D-Printed Polymer Microstructures: Increasing Size and Complexity" Photonics 11, no. 3: 266. https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11030266

APA Style

Xu, A., Nourshargh, C., Salter, P. S., Elston, S. J., Morris, S. M., & Booth, M. J. (2024). Modal Phase Modulators Based on Liquid Crystals with 3D-Printed Polymer Microstructures: Increasing Size and Complexity. Photonics, 11(3), 266. https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics11030266

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Menu

Modal Phase Modulators Based on Liquid Crystals with 3D-Printed Polymer Microstructures: Increasing Size and Complexity

Abstract

Share and Cite

Article Metrics

Article Access Statistics

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI