Optical configurations for nematic liquid crystal device switchable between reflective and transmissive modes

Appl Opt. 2010 Sep 1;49(25):4774-9. doi: 10.1364/AO.49.004774.

Abstract

We propose an optical configuration for a nematic liquid crystal (LC) device that is switchable between the reflective and the transmissive modes. By placing a reflective polarizer between the two LC layers, we obtain higher reflectance and reduce the parallax effect in the reflective mode. We can eliminate the parallax effect by using a wire-grid polarizer or other in-cell reflective polarizers. We expect that the proposed device can be used in various outdoor applications.