NEW PRINCIPLES FOR THE ORGANIZATION OF LIQUID CRYSTAL COMPOSITE RETURNABLE (REWRITABLE) LIGHT-ORIENTED GEOMETRIC PHASE ELEMENTS

Aim: Development of new principles of controllable optical elements - diffractive, focusing and diffractive-focusing - in a wide range of their application, including both for optical and infrared radiation. Methodology. It was shown that LC composites of 4-cyano-4-octyloxydiphenyl (8OCB) in borosiloxane (BS) matrices are promising for solving the problem. After distributing the LC (at temperatures above 55 °C - the melting temperature) spatially according to some predetermined rule, then cool and thereby fix the spatial distribution. The heating-cooling cycle is technically easy to implement. The LC composite is oriented in various ways, and in this work, it is proposed to use light orientation for this purpose. Results. A light-controlled LCD lens with adjustable parameters is proposed. Both the fundamental possibility of multiple rewriting of centrosymmetric phase plates with anisotropic orientation of molecules in a thin film, and the technique of recording elements with a cylindrically symmetric and planar symmetric distribution, which provides a smooth change in the optical axis, are considered. Research implications. When changing modes, uncontrolled elements have to be replaced, which is inconvenient. Controlled optical elements are usually expensive and volatile - they require constant monitoring of their state and field regulation. Consequently, optical elements of various (according to purpose and properties) classification are relevant, rewritable (re-adjustable) at discrete moments of time and non-volatile in the rest (possibly very long) period of operation.