A transmissive liquid crystal diffraction element includes a rod-like liquid crystal layer where a rod-like liquid crystal compound is aligned and a disk-like liquid crystal layer where a disk-like liquid crystal compound is aligned that are alternately laminated, in which each of the liquid crystal layers has a predetermined liquid crystal alignment pattern, rotation directions of optical axes in the liquid crystal alignment patterns are the same, single periods of the liquid crystal alignment patterns are the same, a thickness direction retardation |Rth| of each of the liquid crystal layers is 65 nm or less, and at an interface between the liquid crystal layers, longitudinal directions of the liquid crystal compounds match with each other.

Described herein are methods, systems, and apparatuses to utilize an electro-optic modulator including one or more heating elements. The modulator can utilize one or more heating elements to control an absorption or phase shift of the modulated optical signal. At least the active region of the modulator and the one or more heating elements of the modulator are included in a thermal isolation region comprising a low thermal conductivity to thermally isolate the active region and the one or more heating elements from a substrate of the PIC.

An assembly includes an optical element having a light-shaping region. A light emitter is aimed into the optical element along an internal reflective path. The internal reflective path extends across the light-shaping region. A photodetector is positioned along the internal reflective path. Integrity of the optical element is determined based on detection of light from the light emitter along the internal reflective path by the photodetector.

In one embodiment, a chromatic device includes a transparent conductive substrate, an active layer provided on the conductive substrate, the active layer comprising a conducting polymer, an electrolyte layer in contact with the conductive substrate and the active layer, the electrolyte comprising an oxidant and a salt but not comprising an acid, and a metal element configured to be selectively placed in and out of direct electrical contact with the conductive substrate or the active layer, wherein the active layer has a color that blocks light when the metal element is not in electrical contact with the conductive substrate but changes to a translucent color that transmits light when the metal element is placed in electrical contact with the conductive substrate or the active layer, wherein the active layer changes color without applying external energy to the active layer.

A device comprising a liquid crystal cell, wherein the liquid crystal cell comprises LC material contained between opposing surfaces of two components; wherein the opposing surfaces intermesh in at least one or more regions of the LC cell.

A switchable optical element, a smart window having the same, and a method for switching between optical states of the element such that the optical element includes a pair of substrates disposed facing each other, and at least one cell arranged between the pair of substrates and filled with scattering particles. An electrode configuration is provided on the pair of substrates such that a first group of cell electrodes is interleaved with electrodes of a second group of cell electrodes on a face of a first substrate, and a third group of cell electrodes is interleaved with electrodes of a fourth group of cell electrodes on a face of a second substrate. Switching of the cell includes laterally transporting over at least a distance corresponding to two adjacent cell electrodes of one same cell electrode group and confining the scattering particles to a confinement region within the cell.

An electro-optic device includes a first substrate having a first conductive layer thereon; a second substrate having a second conductive layer thereon; and an electro-optic layer comprising electro-optic microcapsules in a 100% solids or substantially solvent free radiation curable binder, the electro-optic layer being disposed between the first and second substrates in contact with the first and second conductive layers.

Provided are a multilayered-coating system and a method of manufacturing the same. The multi-layered coating system includes: a layer 1 including a plurality of spherical voids with a radius a.sub.1 that are randomly distributed and separated from one another and a filler material with a refractive index n.sub.1 that is disposed in a space between the spherical voids; and subsequent layers expressed as the following word-equation, “a layer i located above a layer i−1 and including a plurality of spherical voids with a radius a.sub.i that are randomly distributed and separated from one another, and a filler material with a refractive index n.sub.i, the filler material disposed in a space between the spherical voids where i is an integer greater than 1”.

A display device includes a lower substrate and an upper substrate opposite the lower substrate; a lower electrode on the lower substrate; a bank insulating layer on the lower substrate, the bank insulating layer covering an edge of the lower electrode; a light-emitting layer on a surface of the lower electrode exposed by the bank insulating layer; an upper electrode on the light-emitting layer; a reflective pattern on the upper substrate, the reflective pattern overlapping with the bank insulating layer; and a half-mirror layer on a surface of the upper substrate exposed by the reflective pattern.

A beam steering apparatus may include: a mirror; a refractive index modulation layer disposed on the mirror; a nanoantenna on the refractive index modulation layer; and an insulating layer disposed between the nanoantenna and the refractive index modulation layer, wherein the insulating layer has a thickness distribution in which a first thickness of the insulating layer on a central region of the mirror is less than a second thickness of the insulating layer on an edge region of the mirror, wherein a refractive index of the refractive index modulation layer is modulated to control propagation direction of beam.