MAY 29-Display-technology-company CRL Opto Limited (Dunfermline, Scotland; www.crlopto.com) has announced volume production of its newly packaged and upgraded fast-switching liquid-crystal shutters. The innovative and new packaging of the LCS2-G offers users an efficient and robust liquid-crystal shutter for easy integration into OEM products. The LCS2-G uses fast-switching ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) and is constructed using transmissive conductive glass components to sandwich the liquid-crystal material.
Simple optical shutters based on liquid crystal technology have been available for many years. But with new and varied markets and applications, as well as the need for shutters for many different wavelengths, CRL Opto brings a cost-effective solution to the market place while keeping the price low. Some of the varied uses for the CRL Opto FLC shutters are ophthalmic test equipment, printed-circuit-board quality-control simulation, autostereo 3-D viewing systems, laser modulation, 35-mm film production, and fiberoptical communications systems.
Optimized for use at 540 nm, transmitted light is modulated when square wave voltages are applied to the shutter, thereby causing the liquid-crystal material to switch very quickly from a light to a dark state. The fast-switching nature of FLC means that the switching speed of the shutter is 100 us at a 10-V switching voltage, achieving a contrast ratio exceeding 300:1.
