High Birefringence Liquid Crystals Mixtures and their Selected Applications

Abstract

High-Birefringence Nematic Liquid Crystals Mixtures (HBNLCM) recently developed in the Military University of Technology (Poland) are presented in this paper. Dielectric, refractometric, viscosimetric and elastomeric characteristic were determined. The properties are discussed in terms of their applicability to electro-optical devices. Applying HBNLCM of LCM to space mission (Phobos Ground) applications for a space-borne laser rangefinder was developed, manufactured and tested under cooperation between Military University of Technology (MUT) in Poland and Vavilov State Optical Institute (Vavilov SOI) in Russia. Transmission T of Liquid Crystal Cell (LCC) at λ=1.064 μm was not smaller than 95% at the aperture diameter not less than 15 mm. Switching on and switching off times in 2.5 μm thick LCC driven by voltage 10 V were not larger than 0.7 ms. Applying HBNLCM of LCM3 to refractive index matched twisted Nematic Liquid Crystal Cell of type LCNP4 for Thomson diagnostics of dense plasma was developed, manufactured and tested under cooperation between MUT in Poland and the National Research University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics in Russia. Transmission T of LCNP4 at λ=1.064 μm was not smaller than 97% at the aperture diameter not less than 30 mm. Switching on time in 2.5 μm thick LCNP4 driven by voltage 200 V was not larger than 3 μs. LCNP4 can easily tolerate 0.42 J/cm2.