Abstract

The increasing importance of ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) devices in a variety of applications makes an understanding of the optical properties of FLC materials essential. In particular, thermal effects associated with switching and environmental conditions need to be understood to assess the potential of FLC devices in optical computing and optical processing and provide design information. Toward these goals, a transmission device consisting of a surface-stabilized cell filled with a smectic C^* FLC was optically characterized. The cell was designed with a λ/(2Δn) thickness where Δn is the birefringence of the uniaxial FLC. Using a specialized SLM interferometric characterization system, the relative phase birefringence as a function of temperature was determined. Phase shift data as a function of temperature are presented; these results are then compared with optical axis tilt angle data as a function of temperature. The latter data were generated by monitoring optical transmission between crossed polarizers.

© 1991 Optical Society of America