HIGH-OPTICAL-ISOLATION LOW-LOSS MODERATE-SWITCHING-SPEED NEMATIC LIQUID-CRYSTAL OPTICAL SWITCH

A bulk polarization-rotation-based 1 x 2 optical switch is demonstrate d by use of a birefringent-mode parallel-rub nematic liquid-crystal ce ll and a calcite Thompson-prism polarizing beam splitter. With 633-nm linearly polarized light the switch output ports exhibit a >36-dB opti cal isolation with less than -0.75 dB of optical insertion loss. A <1. 5-ms switching speed is demonstrated for a cascade cell optical arrang ement by means of the transient nematic effect with >30 dB of optical isolation and -1.45 dB of optical loss.