PDLC-Based Optical Aperture Tuned by the Fringing Electric Field

In this paper, we demonstrate the proof of concept of tuning a solid polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC)-based optical aperture using the fringing electric field. The device consists of a top and a bottom glass substrate with patterned ITO, and the PDLC sandwiched between them. As the applied voltage increases, the fringing electric field expands the optical aperture. The aperture size can be tuned from 423 μm (50 V amplitude) to 490 μm (150 V amplitude).