Fast, large and controllable phase modulation using dual frequency liquid crystals.

Abstract

We report on a method for high speed, large stroke phase modulation using dual frequency control of liquid crystals. Our system uses an all-electronic feedback system in order to simplify the control. We show half wave phase modulations of ~120Hz with the operating point varying over nearly the full dynamic range of the device, and demonstrate larger phase shifts (2.5 waves) at a frequency of 37Hz. For large phase shifts, the speeds are an order of magnitude faster than existing techniques.