SBIR Phase I: Germanium Liquid Crystals for Perfect Displays

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目建议探索开发一种全新的含Ge的铁电液晶(FLC)。到今年为止，只有一种锗液晶化合物被制备出来。一种新的锗化合物在改变FLC器件的范围方面显示出巨大的前景。第一阶段的目标是合成20种新化合物，并探索这种全新的液晶化合物的独特性质，将发现应用于商业应用。预期成果包括更好地了解这些新材料的物理、化学和光学性质，以及确定在第二阶段需要实现的进一步FLC材料和细胞进展，以便随后的商业化。这种新型FLC可能会提供更耐用的器件，具有更宽的温度范围和更低的双折射(易于制造)，最重要的是，它可以在模拟和双稳态模式下工作。该项目的商业应用是在光通信中。由于锗氟碳化合物有潜力提供模拟和双稳态操作(由于书架的层状结构)，许多领域将对商业化开放。相位调制是电光波控和光波前校正的基础，在自由空间光通信、航空激光雷达波束控制和波束整形以及有源光学中都有广泛的应用。新的FLC还将使更高性能的兆位写头能够用于新兴的全息数据存储，并将用于光学信息处理。此外，FLC显示器需要快速、双稳的LCD，从而能够进入数十亿美元的投影显示器市场。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project proposes to explore the development of a fundamentally new class of ferroelectric liquid crystals (FLCs) containing germanium. Only one germanium liquid crystal compound has been prepared until this year. A new germanium compound has shown tremendous promise in revolutionizing the scope of FLC devices. The Phase I objectives are to synthesize 20 new compounds and to explore the unique properties of this fundamentally new class of LCs, applying the findings towards commercial application. Anticipated results include an improved understanding of the physical, chemical, and optical properties of these new materials, and the identification of further FLC material and cell advances that need to be achieved in Phase II for subsequent commercialization. The new class of FLCs may afford a more durable device showing broader temperature range and lower birefringence (ease of manufacture), and most of all, operate in both analog and bistable modes.The commercial application of this project is in optical communications. Because germanium FLCs have the potential to afford both analog and bistable operation (a result of bookshelf layer structure) many areas will be opened to commercialization. Phase modulation is the foundation for electro-optical beam steering and optical wave front correction, which find application in free-space optical communications, in beam steering and beam shaping for laser radar in aviation, and in active optics. The new FLCs will also enable higher performance megabit write-heads for emerging holographic data storage, and will be useful for optical information processing. In addition, fast, bistable LCs have been needed for FLC displays, allowing access to the multibillion-dollar projection display market.