US-Egypt Cooperative Research: Fast Analog Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Electro-Optics for Display Applications

描述：该奖项旨在支持科罗拉多大学物理系Noel Clark博士与埃及开罗大学物理系Mohamed Ewiss博士之间的合作研究项目。研究人员将继续这两所大学的液晶研究人员之间目前成功的合作，以解决液晶技术中一个具有挑战性和有趣的问题，即获得快速（微秒速度）的液晶电光阀，这种光阀也是模拟的，即以连续的方式响应施加电压的变化。这样的设备将为光学数据处理应用的先进空间光调制器的发展开辟道路，以及具有前所未有性能的显示器。提出的研究将探索各种原型模拟器件类型的动态行为对细胞特性的依赖。如果这种材料被开发出来，更好地理解，并集成到空间光调制器原型中，它们可能在光学计算、光信号处理和小型显示器方面有重要的应用。研究范围：显示v形开关的铁电液晶材料有可能成为下一代极快并行光阀。科罗拉多大学的铁电液晶材料研究中心（FLCMRC）在推进这一特殊前沿领域处于世界领先地位。由于与美国PI的合作，开罗大学小组正迅速成为一个重要的参与者，并带来了一些不同的专业知识。该小组发现了在高极化铁电液晶中观察到的无阈值开关的第一个解释。对学生进行新技术发展方面的教育将间接刺激全世界对高科技设备兴趣的增长。一名美国研究生将参与该项目。该项目得到了美国-埃及联合基金项目的支持，该项目向两国的科学家和工程师提供赠款，以开展这些合作活动。

0317018ClarkDescription: This award is to support a cooperative research project between Dr. Noel Clark, Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado and Dr. Mohamed Ewiss, Department of Physics, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt. The investigators will pursue the current successful collaboration between the liquid crystal researchers in these two universities to attack a challenging and interesting problem in liquid crystal technology, namely obtaining fast (microsecond speed) liquid crystal electro-optical light valves that are also analog, i.e. which respond in a continuous way to change in applied voltage. Such devices would open the way for development of advanced spatial light modulators for optical data processing applications, as well as displays with unprecedented performance. The proposed research will explore the dependence of dynamic behavior on cell characteristics for a variety of prototype analog device types. If such materials are developed, better understood, and integrated into spatial light modulator prototypes, they may have important applications in optical computing, optical signal processing, and small displays. Scope: The ferroelectric liquid crystal materials showing V-shaped switching have a real possibility of becoming the next generation of extremely fast and parallel light valves. The Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Materials Research Center (FLCMRC) at U. of Colorado is a world leader in advancing this particular frontier. The University of Cairo group is fast becoming a significant player due to its collaboration with the U.S. PI, and brings a somewhat different expertise into the mix. That group found the first explanation of thresholdless switching observed in ferroelectric liquid crystals with high polarization.Educating students in new technological developments will indirectly stimulate the growth of the interest in high-tech devices all around the world. One U.S. graduate student will participate in the project. This project is being supported under the US-Egypt Joint Fund Program, which provides grants to scientists and engineers in both countries to carry out these cooperative activities.