A wide angle beam propagation method for the analysis of tilted nematic liquid crystal structures

The optical wave propagation within liquid crystal structures is addressed by the development of rigorous electromagnetic wave propagation methods. Th e demand of more refined optical wave modelling methods is driven by the fa ct that the currently used methods applied to liquid crystal devices rely o n the stratified medium approximation. As a consequence devices with variat ions of the director orientation on the scale of the optical wavelength can not be accurately analysed. An appropriate beam propagation method is devel oped to circumvent these limitations in the case of liquid crystal devices exhibiting the bend/splay deformation in the director profile. The method i s a wide-angle scheme, and is therefore not restricted to the paraxial regi on; it is tested on tilted liquid crystal structures.