Patent · US Expired

Liquid crystal fabry perot filter device having a peak operating wavelength of 10.6 microns

US5719654A · kind A · utility

1Cited by
4References
5Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateNov 13, 1995
Grant dateFeb 17, 1998
Priority date
Expiry dateNov 13, 2015

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02F1/141
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

An electrically-controllable liquid crystal filter device comprises two partially-reflecting substrate structures mounted substantially parallel to each other with a space therebetween to form a Fabry-Perot filter. A layer of ferroelectric liquid crystal material is disposed in the space, the liquid crystal material being switchable, by application of an electric field, between different refractive index values whereby the device is switchable between transmissive and reflective states for light of a particular narrow wavelength band. The spacing of the substrate structures is selected in relation to the wavelength of light to be transmitted, such that the Fabry-Perot filter operates in a low order state, which may be the first order.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.