Abstract

Ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs) exhibit fast low-voltage low-power electrooptic switching making them good candidates for spatial light modulators (SLMs). Since they are also bistable and have a sharp dynamic switching threshold, their electrical addressing can easily be multiplexed, promising SLMs with a large number of elements yet with an economical number of electronic drivers. We present studies of FLC SLMs employing matrix multiplexing where the addressing of N² elements requires N row and N column electrodes. Waveforms applied to chosen row and column electrodes switch the pixel at their intersection. Minimizing the effect of the switching waveforms on the unselected pixels in the same row and column requires careful optimization of the waveform, the FLC material, and the surface treatment. Our experimental data include measurements of optical response, specifically contrast ratio, for a variety of different FLC materials and waveforms.

© 1988 Optical Society of America