Fast electroclinic switching in a ferroelectric LC-polysiloxane

A ferroelectric liquid‐crystal (LC) polymer with extremely rapid electroclinic switching is reported: The LC‐polysiloxane can optically follow an electric field of more than 100 kHz. This high switching speed should make it possible to transform spoken language into optical signals for transmission through optical fibers. The polymer exhibits strictly linear behavior in the high‐temperature region of the smectic A* phase, in which the high‐speed switching occurs, while pronounced nonlinearity is found as the smectic C* phase is approached. For applications in which a nonlinear response is acceptable, the greater contrast in this region is a bonus.