P3D Liquid Crystal Shuttered Glasses

[John Toeppen <toeppen@xxxxxxxx>]

Shuttered glasses employ ferroelectric LC materials, conductively coated
glass, sheet polarizers, and drive electronics.

Two polarized sheets are oriented with their axis crossed to prevent the
passage of light. Two sheets of conductively coated glass face each
other with a five micron gap between their faces.  The surface of the
glass is also coated with a layer of buffed PVA that makes the LC
molecules lay in the buffed grooves like rods on a corrigated surface. 
When a voltage is applied between the glass faces the molecules stand on
end. This rotates the plane of polarization allowing light that passed
through the first polarizer to now slip through the second one. The
drive electronics allow syncronizing with the display.

There are many slightly different ways to control light through
polarized switching.  The ferroelectric materials are the only materials
with submillisecond response times and 100+ Htz "flicker free"
operation.  The polarizers may be arranged so that the light valve is
nominally closed or open.  And circular polarization control is another
option. 

tells you more than you may want to know about the general field.
http://eio.com/lcdhist.htm

Every year a number of opticikers show up for conferences on this and
other topics.  Like 3D displays and holographic materials.
http://www.spie.org/info/pw/

John Toeppen
http://members.home.net/toeppen


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