Chinese Journal of Liquid Crystals and Displays, Volume. 40, Issue 6, 827(2025)

In-plane polarization beam splitter based on patterned liquid crystal alignment

Xinyu FANG1, Jiahui ZHAO1、#, Xiao YU2, Qilin JIA1, Jingqi TIAN1, Ziye WANG1, Jidan YANG1、*, and Bingxiang LI1,2、**
Author Affiliations
  • 1College of Electronic and Optical Engineering, College of Flexible Electronics (Future Technology), Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications, Nanjing 210023, China
  • 2College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, China
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    Traditional optical beam splitters are limited by their fixed geometric structures and static working modes, making it challenging to meet the demands of dynamically reconfigurable photonic systems. To achieve polarization-controllable laser beam splitting, this study developed a programmable optical device based on liquid crystal gradient refractive index distribution. By establishing an equivalent refractive index model for liquid crystal planar structures, triangular-patterned liquid crystal cells with alignment angles of 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90° were fabricated using digital mask lithography via a digital micromirror device (DMD) chip, systematically constructing the mapping relationship between alignment angles and effective refractive indices. Experimental results revealed that as the alignment angle increased from 30° to 90°, the corresponding effective refractive index exhibited a monotonically increasing trend. Under horizontally linear polarized light incidence, the refraction angle of extraordinary light (e-light) showed a linear growth with increasing incident angle (15°~75°), confirming the applicability of Snell's law in liquid crystal media. During continuous polarization state modulation from horizontal to vertical orientations, the intensity ratio between e-light and ordinary light (o-light) demonstrated regular evolution, reaching a 1∶1 balanced state at a 46° polarization angle. Circularly polarized light excitation generated symmetrical dual beams, revealing the regulatory mechanism of birefringence phase difference on beam splitting behavior. This work realizes polarization-encoded beam splitting through gradient refractive index design in patterned liquid crystal devices, with its dynamically tunable characteristics providing both theoretical foundation and technical pathways for developing novel reconfigurable photonic devices.

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    Xinyu FANG, Jiahui ZHAO, Xiao YU, Qilin JIA, Jingqi TIAN, Ziye WANG, Jidan YANG, Bingxiang LI. In-plane polarization beam splitter based on patterned liquid crystal alignment[J]. Chinese Journal of Liquid Crystals and Displays, 2025, 40(6): 827

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    Paper Information

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    Received: Mar. 24, 2025

    Accepted: --

    Published Online: Jul. 14, 2025

    The Author Email: Jidan YANG (jdyang@njupt.edu.cn), Bingxiang LI (bxli@njupt.edu.cn)

    DOI:10.37188/CJLCD.2025-0064

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