Fullerene-containing liquid crystal spatiotemporal light modulators with surface-electromagnetic-wave-treated conducting layers

We have studied the switching characteristics of multilayer electrooptical structures comprising quartz substrates, transparent conducting layers, and an oriented nematic liquid crystal (NLC) film doped with photosensitive charge-transfer complexes based on electrooptically active organic monomer or polymer molecules and fullerenes. The transparent conducting layers treated with surface electromagnetic waves are used for the orientation of NLC molecules. The surface relief with variable permittivity, which is created by this treatment, not only ensures the alignment of NLC molecules, but also significantly influences the relaxation times of the electrooptical mesophase, thus making possible effective control over the switching times of the electrooptical light modulator within 1–1.5 ms.