## 3 Results  
### The Liquid Crystal Cells with Integrated Thin-Film Polarizers  
Based on the results presented thus far, demonstrating that thermal effects significantly lower the threshold power, in this section, we propose the implementation of a TN LC cell with integrated plastic polarizers. The film polarizers were used as the boundary layer for the liquid crystal film and were glued to the inner surfaces of the realized NLC cell. This configuration enhances the efficiency of the optical power limiter by further reducing the threshold power necessary for operation. Figure 2a illustrates the arrangement of the NLC cell with the integrated thin-film polarizers in a crossed configuration, aligning the molecular orientation with the optical axes of the polarizers. This strategic integration ensures optimal polarization control, which is critical for the effective modulation of light transmission through the device. Film polarizers are made of soft plastic, which allows for a simple scratching of the surface using mechanical methods to form an alignment layer for liquid crystal on the polarizer's surface. For the practical realization of the rubbing process, we used a typical process necessary for creating an alignment layer on glass substrates coated with polyimide. Film polarizers are designed to polarize low-power light beams linearly and can be easily adjusted to custom dimensions to fit the specified cell sizes. The polarizing material is designed and optimized for use within the 500 nm \(\div\) 700 nm wavelength range, providing an extinction ratio of over 1000:1. To control the thickness of the NLC cells, we used glass spacers (microspheres or microrods) sprayed over the polarizer's surface prior to the final assembly of the two substrates. The density of spacer deposition was approximately a few pieces per square millimeter. In the absence of liquid crystal within the cell, a darkened image is observed due to a crossed polarizer arrangement. When filled with NLC media, the image becomes brighter, similar to using an external polarizer setup, as shown in Figure 1c. The practical realization of the 12 um liquid crystal cell integrated with thin-film polarizers as in Figure 2a, filled with 6 CHBT NLC + 1% SBII \(w/w\), housed in a plastic holder, is shown in Figure 2b. The size of the liquid crystal area is 7 mm \(\times\) 7 mm. Figure 2: **(a)** The sketch of TN NLC cell with internal foil film polarizers in crossed configuration. The rubbing direction is the same as the optical axis of each polarizer (indicated by the double and single arrows, respectively); **(b)** The realization of the liquid crystal cell with a thickness of 12 μm integrated with thin-film polarizers as in **(a)** filled with 6 CHBT NLC + 1% SBII \(w/w\), housed in a plastic holder; **(c)** The 1951 USAF resolution test target imaged with a CCD camera illuminated with white light, and **(d)** the same target imaged with a CCD camera with an NLC optical power limiter **(b)** placed in front of the camera lens; **(e)** Light transmission (\(\lambda\) = 532 nm, P \(<\) 1 mW, linear polarization) for TN NLC cells (of a thickness equal 12 μm) filled with 6 CHBT NLC + 1% SBII \(w/w\) plotted as a function of the polarization angle: experimental results for a typical cell (red circles) and for a cell with integrated film polarizers (black circles) compared to theoretical values (solid lines); **(f)** Characterization of the durability of thin-film foil polarizers: transmission as a function of the beam power (beam width about 2 mm). The light polarization was perpendicular to the optical axis of a polarizer under test. Since the foil-type polarizers may slightly diffuse the transmitted beam, we first check the imaging quality when such an NLC optical power limiter is combined with an imaging system. The configuration setup was established using a typical CCD camera (DCU223C, Thorlabs), an imaging objective, and an analyzed NLC cell placed in front of the imaging objective.