CPC G02F 1/134309 (2013.01) [G02F 1/1337 (2013.01); G02F 1/13471 (2013.01); G02F 1/134363 (2013.01); G02F 1/29 (2013.01); G02F 1/133738 (2021.01); G02F 1/133742 (2021.01); G02F 1/134381 (2021.01); G02F 2203/26 (2013.01); G02F 2203/50 (2013.01)] | 20 Claims |
1. A beam control device for shaping an output light beam, the beam control device being configured to receive an incident beam from a light source, the beam control device comprising:
at least one liquid crystal cell for modulating said incident beam as said incident beam propagates therethrough, each liquid crystal cell having: a pair of cell substrates separated by a cell thickness, a liquid crystal material filling, at least one alignment layer for ordering said liquid crystal material with a director in a ground state alignment direction, a patterned electrode structure having a pattern of paired strip electrodes on one of said pair of substrates, and a power circuitry providing a zero voltage electrical signal for providing an unpowered mode and at least one electric signal for powering said paired strip electrodes for providing at least a powered mode to generate a spatially modulated electric field extending between said paired strip electrodes and into said liquid crystal material, said liquid crystal cell having a predetermined aspect ratio between an electrode spacing gap between said paired electrodes and said cell thickness,
wherein said alignment layer provides, in said unpowered mode, a mostly homogeneous in-plane ground state liquid crystal alignment having an initial alignment direction of about 45 degrees, with respect to a length direction of said electrodes, and
wherein, in said powered mode, an azimuthal component of a local realignment direction of said liquid crystal material spatially realigned by said modulated electrical field has an orientation of about 90 degrees with respect to said length direction of said electrodes, and an elevation component of said local realignment direction follows said spatially modulated electric field.
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