Optical dimming devices with chiral ferroelectric nematic liquid crystal
AssigneeMeta Platforms Technologies, LLC
InventorsChenrun Feng, Olga Vladimirovna Barykina-Tassa, Afsoon Jamali, Jonathan William Onorato, Jasmine Soria Sears, Gareth Valentine, Xi Wu
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Abstract
An optical device includes a first electrode and a medium that includes ferroelectric liquid crystals and chiral dopants. The medium is located adjacent to the first electrode. The optical device may also include a second electrode distinct and separate from the first electrode. The optical device may be used as an optical dimming device, controlling an amount light passing through the optical device based on a voltage gradient provided to the optical device.
Claims15
An optical device, comprising:
- a first electrode;
- a second electrode that is distinct and separate from the first electrode;
- and
- a medium that includes ferroelectric liquid crystals and chiral dopants, wherein:
- the medium is located adjacent to the first electrode;
- the ferroelectric liquid crystals include one or more selected from a group consisting of:
- aromatic mesogens with 2,5-substituted 1,3-dioxane groups, aromatic mesogens with two or more oriented ester bonds and nitro end group, and aromatic ester mesogens with nitrile end group or one or more selected from a group consisting of:
- a rod-shaped material with 1,3-dioxane group, 4-[(4-nitrophenoxy)carbonyl]phenyl2,4-dimethoxybenzoate, and
- the chiral dopants include one or more selected from a group consisting of ZLI811, BDH1281, R5011, and S5011 or one or more selected from a group consisting of R2011, S2011, R1011, S1011, CB15, S811, and CBI15;
- and
- a first voltage gradient of less than 0.2 V/μm is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode distinct and separate from the first electrode.
The optical device of 4, wherein:
- the first electrode and the second electrode extend along a common plane.
The optical device of 4, wherein:
- the first electrode is separated from the second electrode by at least 20 μm.
A method, comprising:
- providing, at a first time, a first voltage gradient between a first electrode and a second electrode distinct and separate from the first electrode, wherein a medium that includes ferroelectric liquid crystals and chiral dopants is located adjacent at least to the first electrode and the first voltage gradient is less than 0.2 V/μm;
- and
- providing, at a second time mutually exclusive to the first time, a second voltage gradient less than the first voltage gradient between the first electrode and the second electrode.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.