Light modulation characteristics of a single-polarizer electro-optical cell based on polymer dispersed ferroelectric liquid crystals

Features of the light passing through a single-polarizer electro-optical ce ll based on a uniaxially oriented film of a polymer dispersed ferroelectric liquid crystal have been studied. The optical response as a function of th e applied electric field is shown to depend on the cell geometry. A detaile d analysis is presented of the dependence of the maximum light transmission , modulation depth and contrast ratio on the angle between the light polari zation and the film orientation direction, on its optical anisotropy and on the molecular tilt angle. An approximate Formula is proposed to estimate t he highest attainable contrast. Parameters under study have been measured f or PDFLC films varying in optical anisotropy value. The experimental result s prove to be in good agreement with theoretical estimations.