Switchable holographic image splitter fabricated with dye-doped liquid crystals.

Two electrically controllable holographic polarization gratings are spatially multiplexed to serve as an image splitter for further stereogram application. An external AC voltage is used to modulate the diffraction efficiency of the fabricated holographic image splitter for the switching of a 3D stereogram and a 2D plane image. The polarization grating was generated by two writing beams with orthogonal circular-polarization state in dye-doped liquid crystal films. With proper experimental arrangements, a quasi single order diffraction was obtained and the other non-zero order diffractions were suppressed in this presented polarization grating. This characteristic leads to a good image contrast ratio for a stereogram. Finally, a switchable stereogram system using circular-polarization beam as backlighting was demonstrated successfully.

[1]  Qiong-Hua Wang,et al.  Autostereoscopic display based on two-layer lenticular lenses. , 2010, Optics letters.

[2]  N. Tabirian,et al.  Periodically Aligned Liquid Crystal: Potential Application for Projection Displays , 2005 .

[3]  T. Todorov,et al.  Polarization reflection holographic gratings in azobenzene-containing gelatine films. , 2002, Optics letters.

[4]  H. Ono,et al.  Polarization holograms in azo dye-doped polymer dissolved liquid crystal composites , 2005 .

[5]  Wallen Mphepö,et al.  Liquid crystal panel for high efficiency barrier type autostereoscopic three-dimensional displays. , 2009, Applied optics.

[6]  G. von Bally,et al.  Reflection holograms in iron-doped lithium niobate , 1997 .

[7]  Vasile Rotar,et al.  Polarization-controlled switching between diffraction orders in transverse-periodically aligned nematic liquid crystals. , 2006, Optics letters.

[8]  J J M Braat,et al.  Holographic simultaneous readout polarization multiplexing based on photoinduced anisotropy in bacteriorhodopsin. , 2004, Optics letters.

[9]  Q. Lu,et al.  Photoinduced anisotropy in an azo-containing ionic liquid-crystalline polymer , 2009 .

[10]  Andy Ying-Guey Fuh,et al.  Polarization holographic grating based on azo-dye-doped polymer-ball-type polymer-dispersed liquid crystals , 2002 .

[11]  P. Rochon,et al.  Polarization analysis of diffracted orders from a birefringence grating recorded on azobenzene containing polymer , 1999 .

[12]  Gabriella Cipparrone,et al.  Highly efficient liquid crystal based diffraction grating induced by polarization holograms at the aligning surfaces , 2006 .

[13]  Wei-Chia Su,et al.  Stereogram implemented with a holographic image splitter. , 2011, Optics express.

[14]  Huajun Xu,et al.  Polarization holographic gratings in an azobenzene side-chain liquid-crystalline polymer , 2007 .

[15]  Oscar Hendrikus Willemsen,et al.  2-D/3-D displays based on switchable lenticulars , 2008 .

[16]  Giuseppe Molesini,et al.  Viscous Behavior of Fused Silica at Room Temperature , 2010 .

[17]  Wayne M. Gibbons,et al.  Surface-mediated alignment of nematic liquid crystals with polarized laser light , 1991, Nature.

[18]  Nelson V. Tabiryan,et al.  The Promise of Diffractive Waveplates , 2010 .

[19]  Philip J. Bos,et al.  An electro‐optically controlled liquid crystal diffraction grating , 1995 .

[20]  Chia-Roong Lee,et al.  Photorefractive effect induced by polarization gratings in dye-doped liquid crystals. , 2004, Optics letters.

[21]  Gregory P. Crawford,et al.  Liquid-crystal diffraction gratings using polarization holography alignment techniques , 2005 .