Spatial phase modulator and method for producing spatial phase modulator

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10942397-B2
Application number	US-201715797795-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 30, 2017
Priority date	Apr 30, 2015
Publication date	Mar 9, 2021
Grant date	Mar 9, 2021

Abstract

A spatial phase modulator and a method for producing a spatial phase modulator are provided. The spatial phase modulator includes a first substrate and a second substrate that are meshed together, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the two substrates, where a transparent electrode layer and a first alignment and guiding layer are disposed in a cascading manner on a side that is of the first substrate and that faces the liquid crystal layer; and an electrode layer and an insulation medium glass layer are disposed in a cascading manner on a side that is of the second substrate and that faces the liquid crystal layer, where the insulation medium glass layer has an inclined serration structure on a side facing the liquid crystal layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A spatial phase modulator, comprising:
a first substrate and an opposing second substrate, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate,
wherein a transparent electrode layer and a first alignment and guiding layer are disposed in a cascading manner, in a direction in which the first substrate faces the second substrate, on a side that is of the first substrate and that faces the liquid crystal layer;
wherein an aluminized electrode layer and an insulation medium glass layer are disposed in a cascading manner, in a direction in which the second substrate faces the first substrate, on a side that is of the second substrate and that faces the liquid crystal layer, wherein the insulation medium glass layer has an inclined serration structure on a side facing the liquid crystal layer, and when the transparent electrode layer and the aluminized electrode layer are charged to form an electric field, the inclined serration structure functions as a second alignment and guiding layer and coordinates with the first alignment and guiding layer to control a deflection direction of liquid crystal molecules at the liquid crystal layer and the electric field also provides an electric field force to the liquid crystal molecules for rotation;
wherein the insulation medium glass layer comprises pairs of oxide layers with different reflectivities and the pairs of oxide layers with different reflectivities are formed by sequential deposition of individual layers in a stacked manner over the electrode layer;
wherein the pairs of oxide layers with different reflectivities comprise: a first oxide layer formed of a first oxide, and a second oxide layer formed of a second oxide that is different from the first oxide, the first oxide layer having a greater reflectivity as compared to a reflectivity of the second oxide layer,
wherein a first pair of oxide layers of the pairs of oxide layers of the insulation medium glass layer is adjacent to the liquid crystal layer, and the inclined serration structure of the insulation medium glass layer is formed by the first oxide layer of the first pair of oxide layers,
wherein the first oxide of the first oxide layer of the first pair of oxide layers is one of: ZrO 2 , and TiO 2 , and wherein the second oxide of the second oxide layer of the first pair of oxide layers is SiO 2 , and
wherein the pairs of oxide layers with different reflectivities are specifically disposed in a manner of (0.5H 0.5L)*n, (0.5H L 0.5L)*n, or H (L H)*n, where H represents an optical thickness of a high-reflectivity material that is one-fourth of an operating wavelength, L represents an optical thickness of a low-reflectivity material that is one-fourth of the operating wavelength, and n represents a quantity of repetition times.

2. The spatial phase modulator according to claim 1 , wherein an inclined angle of each inclined serration is between 3° and 15°.

3. The spatial phase modulator according to claim 2 , wherein the inclined angle of each inclined serration is between 3° and 10°.

4. The spatial phase modulator according to claim 3 , wherein the inclined angle of each inclined serration is one of: 3°, 5°, 7°, and 10°.

5. The spatial phase modulator according to claim 2 , wherein the inclined angle of each inclined serration is one of: 12°, 14°, and 15°.

6. The spatial phase modulator according to claim 1 , wherein the first substrate is a glass substrate, and the second substrate is a silicon-based backplane.

7. The spatial phase modulator according to claim 1 , wherein the second alignment and guiding layer is produced when an insulation medium glass layer is produced.

8. The spatial phase modulator according to claim 1 , wherein the pairs of oxide layers are deposited by using one of a plasma method, a thermal evaporation method, or an electron beam method.

9. A method for producing a spatial phase modulator, the method comprising:
forming a transparent electrode layer and a first alignment and guiding layer on a first substrate;
forming an aluminized electrode layer and an insulation medium glass layer on a second substrate, and forming an inclined serration structure on a surface of the insulation medium glass layer, wherein the inclined serration structure functions as a second alignment and guiding layer and coordinates with the first alignment and guiding layer to control a deflection direction of liquid crystal molecules at a liquid crystal layer, wherein the aluminized electrode layer and the insulation medium glass layer are disposed in a cascading manner, in a direction in which the second substrate faces the first substrate, on a side that is of the second substrate and that faces the liquid crystal layer, wherein the insulation medium glass layer has an inclined serration structure on a side facing the liquid crystal layer, and when the transparent electrode layer and the aluminized electrode layer are charged to form an electric field, the inclined serration structure functions as a second alignment and guiding layer and coordinates with the first alignment and guiding layer to control a deflection direction of liquid crystal molecules at the liquid crystal layer and the electric field also provides an electric field force to the liquid crystal molecules for rotation; and
meshing the first substrate and the second substrate and filling the liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein when the first substrate and the second substrate are meshed, the first alignment and guiding layer and the inclined serration structure are oppositely disposed, wherein: the forming the aluminized electrode layer and the insulation medium glass layer on the second substrate, and forming the inclined serration structure on the surface of the insulation medium glass layer, comprise:
forming the aluminized electrode layer on the second substrate; and
forming pairs of oxide layers with different reflectivities at the formed aluminized electrode layer, wherein the pairs of oxide layers with different reflectivities are formed by sequential deposition of individual layers in a stacked manner over the aluminized electrode layer, wherein the pairs of oxide layers with different reflectivities comprise: a first oxide layer formed of a first oxide, and a second oxide layer formed of a second oxide that is different from the first oxide, the first oxide layer having a greater reflectivity as compared to a reflectivity of the second oxide layer, wherein when a last oxide layer is being formed, the second substrate is rotated by a specified angle, to form the last oxide layer of the inclined serration structure, and an inclined direction of each inclined serration faces an alignment direction of the liquid crystal layer, wherein a first pair of oxide layers of the pairs of oxide layers of the insulation medium glass layer is adjacent to the liquid crystal layer, and the inclined serration structure of the insulation medium glass layer is formed by the first oxide layer of the first pair of oxide layers, and wherein the first oxide of the first oxide layer of the first pair of oxide layers is one of: ZrO 2 , and TiO 2 , and wherein the second oxide of the second oxide layer of the first pair of oxide layers is SiO 2 , and

wherein the pairs of oxide layers with different reflectivities are specifically disposed in a manner of (0.5H 0.5L)*n, (0.5H L 0.5L)*n, or H (L H)*n, where H represents an optical thickness of a high-reflectivity material that is one-fourth of an operating wavelength, L represents an optical thickness of a low-reflectivity material that is one-fourth of the operating wavelength, and n represents a quantity of repetition times.

Assignees

• Huawei Tech Co Ltd
• Cambridge Entpr Ltd

Inventors

• Zong Liangjia
• Chu Daping
• Yang Haining

Classifications

• H10P14/69395

  the material containing zirconium, e.g. ZrO2 · CPC title

• H10P14/69394

  the material containing titanium, e.g. TiO2 · CPC title

• H10P14/662

  Laminate layers, e.g. stacks of alternating high-k metal oxides (adhesion layers or buffer layers H10P14/6508, H10P14/6548) · CPC title

• G02F1/133734 Primary

  by obliquely evaporated films, e.g. Si or SiO2 films · CPC title

• G02F2203/50

  Phase-only modulation · CPC title