Abstract
This work investigates nematic liquid crystal (NLC) optical guiding structures designed in typical sandwich-like NLC cells. With the support of an electrically controlled spatial topology of director orientation, we manage a linear and nonlinear light propagation with the realization of optical beam switching.
Highlights
In most optical waveguide designs with external modulators, the optical switching is commonly realized through electro-optic, magneto-optic, all-optical, and thermo-optical effects [1]
The fluid nature of nematic liquid crystal (NLC) and their compatibility with most optoelectronic materials, polymers, and organic materials allow them to be incorporated with other elements in various configurations, forms, and geometries, thereby increasing the potential applications in novel photonic networks
We successfully demonstrate the complete electro-optical control by combining the electric response of NLC molecules with nonlinear light beam propagation in the sense of nematicons and utilizing the NLC cell with properly designed individually addressed electrodes over nematicons’ trajectory
Summary
In most optical waveguide designs with external modulators, the optical switching is commonly realized through electro-optic, magneto-optic, all-optical, and thermo-optical effects [1]. The classic electro-optic (EO) effect is related to the refractive index alteration due to the modification of the index ellipsoid (or optical indicatrix) by applying an external electric field. Used materials for electro-optic waveguides are LiNbO3, LiTaO3, BaTiO3, electro-optic polymers, and nematic liquid crystals (NLCs) [1–6]. In a specific temperature range, called the nematic phase, long axes of molecules are approximately parallel to each other in. Most nematics are optically uniaxial and positive birefringent materials (with an extraordinary refractive index greater than the ordinary one, ne > no) with an optical axis corresponding to the long axis of the molecules. The electric field oscillations are perpendicular and parallel to the direction of molecular orientation, and an ordinary and extraordinary wave can be excited, respectively
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