Claims
- 1. A method of operating a liquid crystal light valve, comprising,
- providing a liquid crystal light valve having a liquid crystal layer, a doped semiconductor photoconductor layer, a Schottky diode means in contact with the photoconductor layer between the liquid crystal and photoconductor layers, a doped semiconductor layer electrically contacting the opposite side of the photoconductor layer from the Schottky diode means, and a counter-electrode on the opposite side of the liquid crystal layer from the photoconductor layer, and
- applying an alternating voltage across the electrode and counter-electrode to operate the light valve in spaced periods of reverse bias on the Schottky diode means and substantial majority carrier depletion of the photoconductor layer, and intervening substantially shorter periods of forward bias on the Schottky diode means sufficient to substantially balance the current flow through the liquid crystal layer.
- 2. A method of operating a liquid crystal light valve, comprising:
- providing a liquid crystal light valve having a liquid crystal layer which is doped with current carrying ions, a doped semiconductor photoconductor layer, a Schottky diode means in contact with the photoconductor layer between the liquid crystal and photoconductor layers, a doped semiconductor layer electrically contacting the opposite side of the photoconductor layer from the Schottky diode means, and a counter-electrode on the opposite side of the liquid crystal layer from the photoconductor layer, and
- applying a substantially DC voltage across the electrode and counter-electrode to operate the light valve with the Schottky diode means substantially continuously reverse biased.
Parent Case Info
This is a division of application Ser. No. 095,806, filed Sept. 14, 1987.
GOVERNMENT RIGHTS IN INVENTION
This invention was made with U.S. Government support under Contract No. F 33615-83-C-1057. The U.S. Government has certain rights in this invention.
US Referenced Citations (5)
Foreign Referenced Citations (3)
Number |
Date |
Country |
2227547 |
Nov 1974 |
FRX |
8700642 |
Jan 1987 |
WOX |
8700643 |
Jan 1987 |
WOX |
Non-Patent Literature Citations (3)
Entry |
Grinberg et al., "A New Real-Time Non-Coherent to Coherent Light Image Converter . . . ", Optical Engineering, vol. 14, No. 3, May-Jun. 1975, pp. 217-225. |
Grinberg et al., "Photoactivated Birefringent Liquid-Crystal Light Valve for Color Symbology Display", IEEE Transactions Electronic Devices, ED-22, 1975, pp. 775-783. |
U. Efron et al., "Silicon Liquid-Crystal Light Valve", Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 57(4), Feb. 1985, pp. 1356-1368. |