Liquid Crystal Polarization Gratings Lenses
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Key Features
- Low size, weight, and power
- <40 μs fast direction
- <3 ms slow direction
- Robust non-mechanical operation
- Large apertures possible (>5 cm)
- High diffraction efficiency (>99%)
- Simple microscope integration
- Demonstrated in VIS to MWIR
- Broadband systems possible
Liquid Crystal Polarization Gratings Lenses
Liquid Crystal Polarization Gratings utilize spatially varying birefringence to create highly efficient polarization-sensitive gratings. Circularly polarized light will see a positive or negative lens depending on the handedness of the incident light. By using an alternating stack of LCPGs and half-waveplate switches, we can produce large discrete focus changes in <40 μs.
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In microscopy, studying the brain’s 3D neuronal connections poses challenges for traditional laser scanning microscopes, which focus on one depth at a time. Fast focus-changing methods are essential to capture millisecond-scale neuronal dynamics across the millimeter-length scale of connectivity. The use of Liquid Crystal Polarization Grating lenses (LCPG lenses) and controllable liquid crystal switches enables rapid refocusing of more than 500 micrometers in less than 40 microseconds in a multiphoton microscope.
Ordering Information – Contact Us for a Quote
| Meadowlark provides custom systems to meet your needs using the patented liquid crystal polarization grating (LCPG) technology. When contacting us for a quote, please provide: |
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Don’t see what you’re looking for?
We also offer a commercial product line consisting of unmounted LCPGs without integrated anti-reflection (AR) coatings so that we can provide customers with the best price. Please contact our knowledgeable Solutions Engineers regarding custom options, including custom diffraction angles, aperture sizes, and wavelengths through the visible to midwave infrared.
Liquid Crystal Polarization Gratings Lenses
Fundamentals
Liquid crystal polarization gratings (PGs) are fascinating optical components that differ from traditional diffraction gratings, like ruled, Bragg, or holographic gratings. In particular, PGs exhibit polarization sensitivity, can have diffraction efficiency approaching 100%, and are much less sensitive to incident angle than, for example, Bragg or volume holographic gratings. To understand how this is possible, it is important to first understand how PGs work.
Graphs & Figures
These plots show typical zero-order leakage spectra for different LCPG specifications. The LCPG diffraction efficiency is highest where the zero-order leakage is at a minimum.
