Polarization-Independent Volume Lens Based on Cholesteric Liquid Crystal Templates

Liquid crystal (LC) lenses are widely used in augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) due to their high optical efficiency, lightweight, ease of fabrication, and electrically adjustable. To meet the demand for miniaturization and reduce the complexity of the optical system, an off-axis focusing lens, like a polarization volume lens (PVL), which realizes the light converging and beam steering with one structure, is proposed. However, the polarization dependence of LC devices greatly reduces the optical efficiency and restricts their application. A polarization-independent volume lens (PIVL) based on cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC) templates is proposed to realize polarization-independent of off-axis focusing. It integrates the right-handed CLC and left-handed CLC into a single layer with double photo alignment patterns. The PIVL greatly increases the optical efficiency with low polarization-dependent diffraction. The PIVL may be used not only in AR and VR displays but also in imaging and optical communication systems.