Reflection Spectra of Distorted Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Structures in Cells with Interdigitated Electrodes (Postprint)

We studied the appearance of second- and third-order Bragg reflections in cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs) in cells where the electric field was perpendicular to the helical axis. Second-order reflections with reflectance values as large as 80% of the first-order one were observed in the gap regions of alignment cells with interdigitated electrodes for CLC mixtures with pitches in the range 0.5-1.0 microns upon application of a field. The characterization was enabled by local probing of the CLC using a microspectrophotometer. LC cells that are transparent in the visible spectrum in the off-state and become colored upon application of a field due the second- or third-order reflection band appearance were demonstrated. The spectral position of the higher-order Bragg reflections can also be tuned by adjusting the magnitude of the electric field.
Journal article published in Optics Express, v22 n13 p16510-16519, 30 Jun 2014. Prepared in collaboration with Azimuth Corp., Dayton, OH.