Wedge-shaped liquid crystal cell
US5841500A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 9, 1997 |
| Grant date | Nov 24, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jan 9, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04Q2011/0035
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A liquid-crystal cell having plates defining a gap between them which is filled with a liquid crystal, especially a twisted nematic. The plates are made non-parallel to a predetermined degree so that the liquid crystal assumes a wedge shape, producing different effective thicknesses of the liquid crystal depending on the lateral position within the cell. In use, a narrow beam irradiates a portion of the cell, and the cell is positioned along the wedge direction so as to optimize the cell performance. The invention is particularly useful with a liquid-crystal multi-wavelength switch, which requires extinction ratios between the two states of the cell.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.