Phase-only modulation with economic and compact vertical aligned liquid crystal devices

Spatial Light Modulators (SLMs) are widely used in several fields of optics such as adaptive optics or holographic displays. SLMs based on Liquid Crystal (LC) devices allow a dynamic and easy representation of two-dimensional phase maps. However, these devices have two main drawbacks, their elevated cost and large dimensions, which prevents them to be used in applications where compactness and low prices are a must. Here we present a more affordable and compact approach based on vertical aligned LC devices, with characteristics of phase modulation very similar to the widely used parallel aligned LC devices. We study the maximal Field of View for visual correction in a see-through system, where the displayed phase map is used for the correction of visual disorders, from refractive errors, to high order aberrations. To conclude we discuss the potential of using this SLM technology and approach as a key component in smart glasses, paving the way for the development of economic, compact and reliable smart glasses for vision correction, among other applications.