Liquid-crystal phase grating based on in-plane switching

A simple phase grating is constructed by insertion of a liquid-crystal layer between two glass plates, upon one of which a pair of transparent interdigitated electrodes is formed. With a bias application, liquid-crystal molecules align themselves along the electric field lines, which are substantially parallel to the glass plates. By controlling the degree of this in-plane switching for the liquid-crystal molecules, one can generate various phase-shift distributions for the light passing through the device. The grating characteristics are altered accordingly. Versatile design and ease of fabrication are potential advantages of this device for some future applications.