ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the optical and electro-optic properties of nematic LC and their relevance to device applications. It reviews briefly the general features of nematic LCs and describes three basic LC alignments. The chapter presents optical properties (including absorption, scattering, birefringence, and rotatory power) of nematic liquid crystals (NLC). It analyzes some basic electro-optic effects of NLCs, discussing efforts for improving the LC response times, such as synthesizing highly conjugated LCs, optimal temperature effect, and dual field effect. Generally speaking, LCs are highly transparent, and thus very useful in the visible—infrared spectral range. The electronic absorption bands of LCs depend strongly on the LC composition and are located in the UV region. Absorption of most LCs in the visible region is expected to be very small due to the off-resonant effect. The traditional solid state phase retardation plate can be used only as either a quarter- or a half-wave plate for each given thickness and wavelength.
