Electrically tunable laser with cholesteric liquid crystal heliconical structure
AssigneesKent State University, The University Court of the University of Aberdeen
InventorsJie Xiang, Andrii Varanytsia, Fred Minkowski, Oleg D. Lavrentovich, Peter Palffy-Muhoray, Corrie T. Imrie, Daniel E. Paterson, John M. Storey
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Abstract
A lasing device includes an active layer comprising a cholesteric liquid crystal material and a laser dye, and a liquid crystal cell including spaced apart substrates defining a cell gap in which the active layer is disposed. The substrates include electrodes arranged to bias the active layer into an oblique helicoidal (ChOH) state. At least one substrate of the liquid crystal cell is optically transparent for a lasing wavelength range of the device.
Claims21
An electrically tunable laser comprising:
- an active layer comprising a mixture of a cholesteric liquid crystal material having an elastic constant of bend deformation effective for the cholesteric liquid crystal material to be biased into an oblique helicoidal (ChOH) state, and a fluorescent laser dye providing lasing action, wherein the cholesteric liquid crystal material includes a mixture of at least two different dimeric liquid crystal materials;
- a liquid crystal cell including spaced apart substrates defining a cell gap in which the active layer is disposed, the substrates including electrodes arranged to bias the active layer into the oblique helicoidal (ChOH) state, wherein at least one substrate of the liquid crystal cell is optically transparent for a lasing wavelength range of the device;
- and
- a pump laser arranged to optically pump lasing in the active layer.
A method comprising:
- electrically biasing an active layer comprising a mixture of a cholesteric liquid crystal material and a laser dye to place the active layer into an oblique helicoidal (ChOH) state, wherein the cholesteric liquid crystal material includes a mixture of at least two different dimeric liquid crystal materials;
- and
- pumping the active layer in the ChOH state to produce lasing.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.