A polarization converter array using a twisted-azimuthal liquid crystal in cylindrical polymer cavities.

We report a simple method to prepare an array of polarization converters using a twisted-azimuthal nematic liquid crystal (NLC) in cylindrical polymer cavities. When a NLC is filled in a cylindrical polymer cavity, LC in the cavity presents concentrically circular orientations. By treating LC on one side of the cavity with homogeneous alignment, a twisted-azimuthal texture is formed. Such a LC texture can convert a linear polarization light to either radial or azimuthal polarization light depending on the polarization direction of the incident light. The LC surface on the other side of the cavity is convex, so the light after passing through the cavity can be focused as well. The LC texture can be fixed firmly using polymer network. In comparison with previous polarization converters, our polarization converter has the merits of individually miniature size, array of pattern, and lens character. Our polarization converter array has potential applications in tight focusing, imaging, and material processing.