Polarization modulation study of transmissive liquid crystal spatial light modulator using digital holographic polariscope

The study of phase modulation from the transmissive twisted nematic liquid crystal spatial light modulator (TN-LCSLM) with different incident states of polarization on its active area using Digital Holography method is presented. A pair of polarizer and quarter waveplate is used to illuminate the TN-LCSLM with elliptically polarized optical wavefront and transmitted optical wavefront is analyzed with a rotating analyzer. A single digital hologram is recorded from a complex optical wavefront passing through active display area of the TN-LCSLM at particular setting of different optical elements and quantitative phase is evaluated. We demonstrated that elliptically polarized light with certain ellipticity produces maximum phase modulation through the TN-LCSLM and the results are in good agreement with the eigenvectors suggested by Mueller matrix polarimetric characterization. This experimental setup can also be used as Grey-field Polariscope (GFP) in order to characterize important physical parameters such as the orientation of LC director molecules at input face and phase retardation with respect to addressed gray scale value on the TN-LCSLM active area. The TN-LCSLM is illuminated with circularly polarized light and change in this incident polarization after passing through the TN-LCSLM is recorded by four phase shifted digital holograms at four different analyzer orientations to measure these physical parameters.

► Phase modulation of different elliptically polarized states through TN-LCSLM is studied.
► Eigenpolarization state suggested by Muller matrices offers highest phase modulation of 1.53π.
► Digital holography experimental set-up can characterize important physical parameters.
► LC director and phase retardation is characterized using digital holographic polariscope.