Abstract

In this Letter we disclose a method to realize a good alignment of ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs) in microchannels, based on photo-alignment. The sulfonic azo dye used in our research offers variable anchoring energy depending on the irradiation energy and thus provides good control on the FLC alignment in microchannels. The good FLC alignment has been observed only when anchoring energy normalized to the capillary diameter is less than the elastic energy of the FLC helix. The same approach can also be used for the different microstructures viz. photonic crystal fibers, microwaveguides, etc. which gives an opportunity for designing a photonic devices based on FLC.

© 2014 Optical Society of America

Micro-patterned photo-aligned ferroelectric liquid crystal Fresnel zone lens

A. K. Srivastava, X. Q. Wang, S. Q. Gong, D. Shen, Y. Q. Lu, V. G. Chigrinov, and H. S. Kwok
Opt. Lett. 40(8) 1643-1646 (2015)

Fast electro-optical mode in photo-aligned reflective deformed helix ferroelectric liquid crystal cells

Qi Guo, Zourab Brodzeli, Eugene P. Pozhidaev, Fan Fan, Vladimir G. Chigrinov, Hoi Sing Kwok, Leonardo Silvestri, and Francois Ladouceur
Opt. Lett. 37(12) 2343-2345 (2012)

Enhanced orientational Kerr effect in vertically aligned deformed helix ferroelectric liquid crystals

Evgeny P. Pozhidaev, Abhishek Kumar Srivastava, Alexei D. Kiselev, Vladimir G. Chigrinov, Valery V. Vashchenko, Alexander I. Krivoshey, Maxim V. Minchenko, and Hoi-Sing Kwok
Opt. Lett. 39(10) 2900-2903 (2014)

Fork gratings based on ferroelectric liquid crystals

Y. Ma, B. Y. Wei, L.Y. Shi, A. K. Srivastava, V. G. Chigrinov, H-S. Kwok, W. Hu, and Y. Q. Lu
Opt. Express 24(6) 5822-5828 (2016)

Reverse bistable effect in ferroelectric liquid crystal devices with ultra-fast switching at low driving voltage

Qi Guo, Xiaojin Zhao, Huijie Zhao, and V.G. Chigrinov
Opt. Lett. 40(10) 2413-2416 (2015)