Dynamic characterization of polarization property in liquid-crystal-on-silicon spatial light modulator using dual-comb spectroscopic polarimetry

Spectroscopic polarimetry (SP) is a powerful tool for characterization of thin film, polarization optics, semiconductor, and others. However, mechanical polarization modulation of broadband light hampers its application for dynamic monitoring of a sample. In this article, we demonstrate the dynamic SP with features of polarization-modulation-free polarimetry and spectrometer-free spectroscopy benefiting from dual-comb spectroscopy (DCS) using a pair of optical frequency combs (OFCs). DCS enables the direct determination of polarization without the need for polarization modulation by using mode-resolved OFC spectra of amplitude and phase for two orthogonally linear-polarized lights while securing rapid, high-precision, broadband spectroscopy without the need for spectrometer. Effectiveness of the proposed system is highlighted by visualizing the hysteresis property of dynamic response in a liquid-crystal-onsilicon spatial light modulator at a sampling rate of 105 Hz. (C) 2020 Optical Society of America under the terms of the OSA Open Access Publishing Agreement