Abstract
Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) are highly suitable materials for the fabrication of flexible photonic elements due to their ability for directional actuation induced by external stimuli. 3D laser printing (3DLP) is a well-established method to realize complex photonic architectures. In this paper, we present the technological adaptations necessary to combine the actuation-controlled flexibility of LCE with the design options inherent to 3DLP to realize a platform for tunable photonics. The role of birefringence of the LCE in the 3DLP fabrication is addressed and theoretically modelled. We demonstrate how LCEs can be used both as a flexible substrate for arrays of rigid photonic elements and as a material for tunable photonic structures itself. Flexible coupling of two optical whispering gallery mode cavities and full spectral tunability of a single cavity are presented as exemplary applications.
Highlights
Photonic building blocks on the micro and nano scale, such as optical filters or sensors, are central elements of modern optoelectronics [1,2]
We have successfully adapted 3D laser printing for the fabrication of flexible photonic elements based on liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs)
We have described a method to print rigid polymer structures on flexible substrates made from in-plane aligned LCE
Summary
Photonic building blocks on the micro and nano scale, such as optical filters or sensors, are central elements of modern optoelectronics [1,2] Such systems are highly suitable for fundamental investigations, e.g., of cavity quantum dynamics or topological effects [3,4]. Most of these structures are based on semiconductor materials [5,6,7], but photonic elements made from polymers have recently been established as interesting alternatives [8,9,10]. It would be of great advantage to transfer the addressed merits of flexibility to the micro scale This step requires elastomer structures that can be triggered by stimuli other than by direct mechanical stress. The successful application of our newly developed approaches towards tunable photonics is demonstrated by fiber-based transmission spectroscopy of polymeric whispering gallery mode cavities near the infrared (IR) c-band
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