Widely Tunable Optical Vortex Array Generator Based on Grid Patterned Liquid Crystal Cell

Since optical vortex (OV) beams possess an additional degree of freedom, orbital angular momentum, the beams can be utilized to enhance signal modulation in optical communication technologies by mode division multiplexing and information encoding. In particular, tunable OV devices with wavelength adjustment and channel switching generate wide interest among researchers. This paper demonstrates tunable OV generator based on a grid‐patterned liquid crystal (GPLC) cell. The device, which is capable of producing an array of OV beams, offers an electrically controllable conversion between scalar vortices and vector vortices and controllable optical vortex density. In addition, the GPLC device is tunable to optimize its performance over a broad range of wavelengths. Generation of arrays of optical vortex beams using grid‐patterned liquid crystal cells is investigated in detail. Voltage‐controllable arrays of liquid crystalline defects can generate beams with diverse optical orbital momenta. Wide wavelength tunability is shown for scalar, pure vector, and hybrid vector vortex beams. The results can be utilized in broadband optical communications.