Submillisecond-response nematic liquid crystal grating for high-speed optical modulation

We demonstrate a fast-response nematic liquid crystal (LC) grating based on auxiliary electrodes. Aiming at the inherent response-speed bottleneck of conventional nematic LC gratings, the proposed design achieves a fast response of 0.25 ms via auxiliary electrode modulation technology, as validated by numerical simulations. On this basis, flexible adjustment of the grating period can be achieved via rational design of the auxiliary electrode width, which validates the feasibility of on-demand period customization for the proposed structure. Since the device does not require complex fabrication processes or special LC materials, it combines the advantages of fast response, simple structure and low cost, enabling a good balance between technical performance and economic benefits. Based on the above comprehensive advantages, simulation and experimental results show that this device has important application value in fields such as optical waveguide signal transmission, high-precision spectral scanning and immersive 3D displays.