Patent · US Active

Electro-optical devices using dynamic reconfiguration of effective electrode structures

US8033054B2 · kind B2 · utility

8Cited by
23References
19Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateJun 21, 2009
Grant dateOct 11, 2011
Priority date
Expiry dateJun 21, 2029

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC G)Physics
  • CPC primaryG02F1/294
  • WIPO fieldOptics
  • WIPO sectorInstruments

Abstract

Variable liquid crystal devices for controlling the propagation of light through a liquid crystal layer use a frequency dependent material to dynamically reconfigure effective electrode structures in the device. The frequency of a drive signal that generates an electric field in the device may be varied, and the frequency dependent material has different charge mobilities for the different frequencies. At a low charge mobility, the frequency dependent material has little effect on the existing electrode structures. However, at a high charge mobility, the frequency dependent material appears as an extension of the fixed electrodes, and may be used to change the effective electrode structure and, thereby, the spatial profile of the electric field. This, in turn, changes the optical properties of the liquid crystal, thus allowing the optical device to be frequency controllable.

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