Patent · US Expired

Liquid crystal cells for integrated optical components and a method of manufacturing them

US6271906A · kind A · utility

2Cited by
10References
6Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJul 8, 1997
Grant dateAug 7, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateJul 8, 2017

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02F1/1326
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Liquid cell crystal, with fine structures made up of regions having defined different orientation and dimensions of the order of 0.1 to about 100 .mu.m can be used as optical conductors and projection displays. The fine structures in the liquid crystals are produced in that the plates bounding and guiding the liquid crystal are provided with micromechanically produced regions having different defined preferred directions. The result is a molecular orientation having a higher refractive index that the surrounding region for guiding and polarizing irradiated light. The orienting layers on the plates bounding the liquid crystal are micromechanically structured in that certain spatial regions are mechanically structured in a uniform direction by a stylus moved by piezoelectric means.

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