Switchable liquid crystal lenticular microlens arrays based on photopolymerization-induced phase separation for 2D/3D autostereoscopic displays

Abstract

Conventionally, the fabrication of liquid crystal lenticular microlens arrays (LCLMLAs) is complicated and costly. Here, we demonstrate a one-step fabrication technique for LCLMLAs, which is prepared through the photopolymerization-induced phase separation in the LC/polymer composite. The LCLMLAs possess both polarization-dependent and electrically tunable focusing properties. Furthermore, we construct a 14-view 2D/3D switchable autostereoscopic display prototype based on a 2D LCD panel and the prepared LCLMLA, which has a viewing angle of 14° and a crosstalk of 46.2% at the optimal viewing zone. The proposed LCLMLAs have the merits of simple fabrication, large-scale production, and low cost.