Abstract
We design and assess a one-dimensional photonic crystal slab fabricated by preferential etching of a silicon-on-insulator substrate. The etched grooves are considered to be infiltrated by a highly-birefringent nematic liquid crystalline material. A detailed analysis of the nematic director response within the grooves is presented. We investigate different configurations and demonstrate large band gap shifting when switching the liquid crystal with an applied voltage. Furthermore, we assess this type of device as an efficient alternative for compact refractometric optical sensing applications.
Highlights
Several outstanding properties of photonic crystals (PhC) in all dimensionalities have been studied, revealed and demonstrated in the last 15 years
In this paper we report the design and analysis of 1-D PhC fabricated by anisotropic wet etching of (100) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers
The nematic director orientation in submicron grooves etched in silicon has been extensively studied
Summary
Several outstanding properties of photonic crystals (PhC) in all dimensionalities have been studied, revealed and demonstrated in the last 15 years (see for instance Ref. [1] and the special issue of Ref. [2]). It becomes possible to infiltrate the PhC with a fluid material that may undergo changes in its optical properties under the dynamic control of external parameters, such as temperature or an electric field. Such a material can be for instance a nematic liquid crystal. The properties of the proposed 1-D SOI-based PhC structures may be controllably tuned when combined with a LC material In this context, after evaluating the technological process and constraints, the paper theoretically studies the bandgap tuning of a novel 1-D PhC structure derived by anisotropic etching of SOI wafers. In a further approach, such 1-D PhC are assessed as candidates for compact devices for optical filtering and refractometric sensing
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