Polarization-dependent optical properties of planar photonic crystals infiltrated with liquid crystals

Abstract

Photonic crystals with infiltrated liquid crystals are investigated in the 1.5μm wavelength regime. Due to the strong temperature dependence of the refractive index of liquid crystals, especially near the clearing point, i.e., at the transition between nematic and isotropic phase, the optical properties of photonic crystals can be tuned by small temperature changes. The refractive index of liquid crystals is birefringent and, therefore, sensitive for the polarization of the incident light. By using microresonators embedded into planar photonic crystal waveguides, the polarization dependence of the optical properties with and without infiltrated liquid crystal is investigated. The experimental results quantitatively agree well with the calculated photonic band structure assuming a temperature depending reorientation of the liquid crystal director field inside the holes.