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Applications
Photoalignment materials

BEAM Co.’s photoanisotropic materials are used for photoalignment of liquid crystals and liquid crystal monomers. Availability of different molecular structures allows using sources of light in a wide range of wavelengths. The molecular alignment axis – the axis of photoinduced anisotropy – is perpendicular to light polarization. It may be reversible and provides an opportunity of pre-alignment. The materials support high resolution patterning of liquid crystals and liquid crystal monomers required, particularly, for fabrication polarization gratings and diffractive waveplates, including cycloidal waveplates for large angle beam deflection, vector vortex waveplates (spiral phase waveplates) with submicron singularity size, and fast waveplate lenses.

Deposition techniques include spin-coating, inkjet coating, spray coating, and dip coating. Typical spin-coating on a glass substrate is realized at 3000 rpm during 60 s. No subsequent annealing typically required.

The material can be delivered in solutions optimized for glass, plastic, etc.

The photoalignment materials are sold for production and in production quantities only.

Item code Peak absorption wavelength, [nm] E [J/cm2] for different radiation wavelengths
325 nm 365 nm 458 nm 488 nm
PAAD-22 366 0.3 0.5 0.8 2.4
PAAD-27 410 2.7 1.1 0.15 0.6
PAAD-72 423 - - 0.06 0.3
Applications of photoalignment materials

References

  1. S.R. Nersisyan, N.V. Tabiryan, D.M. Steeves, B.R. Kimball, V.G. Chigrinov, and H.-S. Kwok, “Study of azo dye surface command photoalignment material for photonics applications”, Appl. Opt. 49 (10), 1720-1727 (2010).
  2. S.R. Nersisyan, N.V. Tabiryan, D.M. Steeves, B.R. Kimball, “The principles of laser beam control with polarization gratings introduced as diffractive waveplates”, Proc. SPIE 7775, 77750U-1-10 (2010).
  3. S.R. Nersisyan, B.R. Kimball, D.M. Steeves,N.V. Tabiryan, “Technology of Diffractive Waveplates for Polarizer-Free Displays”, IMID/IDMC/ASIA DISPLAY 2010 DIGEST, pp. 277-278.
  4. N.V. Tabiryan, S.R. Nersisyan, D.M. Steeves and B.R. Kimball, “The Promise of Diffractive Waveplates”, Optics and Photonics News, 21 (3), 41-45 (2010).
  5. S.R. Nersisyan, N.V. Tabiryan, D.M. Steeves, B. Kimball, “Optical Axis Gratings in Liquid Crystals and their use for polarization insensitive optical switching”, Journal of Nonlinear Optical Physics & Materials, 18 (1), 1–47 (2009).
  6. Uladzimir Hrozhyk, Sarik Nersisyan, Svetlana Serak, Nelson Tabiryan, Landa Hoke, Diane M. Steeves, and Brian R. Kimball, “Optical switching of liquid-crystal polarization gratings with nanosecond pulses”, Optics Letters, 34 (17), 2554-2556 (2009).
  7. Sarik R. Nersisyan, Nelson V. Tabiryan, Diane M. Steeves, and Brian R. Kimball, “Characterization of optically imprinted polarization gratings”, Appl. Optics 48 (21), 4062-4067 (2009).
  8. S.R. Nersisyan, N.V. Tabiryan, L. Hoke, D.M. Steeves, B. Kimball, “Polarization insensitive imaging through polarization gratings”, Optics Express, 17 (3), 1817-1830 (2009).
  9. S. Nersisyan, N. Tabiryan, D.M. Steeves, B.R. Kimball, “Fabrication of liquid crystal polymer axial waveplates for UV-IR wavelengths”, Opt. Express, 17 (14), 11926-11934 (2009).
  10. Sarik R. Nersisyan and Nelson V. Tabiryan, “Polarization Imaging Components Based on Patterned Photoalignment”, Mol. Cryst. Liq. Cryst., 489, 156 [482]–168 [494] (2008).
  11. S. Serak, N. Tabiryan, and B. Zeldovich, "High-efficiency 1.5 µm thick optical axis grating and its use for laser beam combining," Opt. Lett. 32, 169-171 (2007).
  12. H. Sarkissian, S.V. Serak, N.V. Tabiryan, L.B. Glebov, V. Rotar, B.Ya. Zeldovich, “Polarization-controlled switching between diffraction orders in transverse-periodically aligned nematic liquid crystals”, Optics Letters 31 (15), 2248-2250 (2006).
BEAM Co.,
1300 Lee Road
,
Orlando
,
FL
,
32810
,
USA

Tel. (407) 734-5222
Fax (407) 969-0477
e-mail: sales@beamco.com, info@beamco.com.
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