Tuning of whispering gallery modes of polymeric micro-spheres and shells using external electric field

Abstract

The electrostriction effect on the whispering gallery modes (WGM) of polymeric micro-spheres is investigated analytically and experimentally. Electrostriction is the elastic deformation (mechanical strain) of a dielectric material due the force exerted by an electric field. The elastic deformation also leads to mechanical stress which perturbs the refractive index of the sphere. Both if these effects (strain and stress) induce a shift in the WGM of the dielectric microsphere. We develop analytical expressions for the WGM shift due to electrostriction for solid and thin-walled micro-shells. The analytical results show that detection of electric fields < 1000 V/m is possible using water filled PDMS microshells. The electric field sensitivities for solid spheres, on the other hand, are significantly smaller. Results of experiments carried out using solid polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) spheres agree well with the analytical prediction. These results are encouraging for future development of WGM-based optical switches/filters as well as electric field sensors.