Modal liquid crystal array of optical elements.

In this study, a novel liquid crystal array based on modal control principle is proposed and demonstrated. The advanced device comprises a six striped electrode structure that forms a configurable 2D matrix of optical elements. A simulation program based on the Frank-Oseen equations and modal control theory has been developed to predict the device electrooptic response, that is, voltage distribution, interference pattern and unwrapped phase. A low-power electronics circuit, that generates complex waveforms, has been built for driving the device. A combined variation of the waveform amplitude and phase has provided a high tuning versatility to the device. Thus, the simulations have demonstrated the generation of a liquid crystal prism array with tunable slope. The proposed device has also been configured as an axicon array. Test measurements have allowed us to demonstrate that electrooptic responses, simulated and empirical, are fairly in agreement.