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Fabrication of a Low-Cost, Fiber-Coupled, and Air-Spaced Fabry-Pérot Etalon
Published on: February 3, 2023
Fabry Perot etalon with polymer cholesteric liquid-crystal mirrors
J E Stockley1, G D Sharp, K M Johnson
1Boulder Nonlinear Systems, Inc., 450 Courtney Way, Unit 107, Lafayette, Colorado 80026, USA.
Optics Letters
|December 12, 2007
Summary
Researchers developed a novel Fabry-Perot (FP) etalon using polymer cholesteric liquid-crystal mirrors. This innovation enables micro-cavity spacing for tunable optical filters in the near-infrared spectrum.
Area of Science:
- Optics and Photonics
- Materials Science
Background:
- Fabry-Perot (FP) etalons are crucial optical devices.
- Traditional etalons face limitations in miniaturization and fabrication.
- Polymer cholesteric liquid crystals offer tunable optical properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate the first implementation of a Fabry-Perot etalon utilizing polymer cholesteric liquid-crystal mirrors.
- To explore the fabrication of micro-cavity FP etalons on a single substrate.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of polymer cholesteric liquid-crystal mirrors on a single substrate.
- Integration of mirrors to create a Fabry-Perot cavity with micrometer-scale spacing.
- Characterization of optical performance in the near-infrared region.
Main Results:
- Achieved near-infrared free spectral ranges of 24.8 nm and 45.6 nm for cavity lengths of 13.8 and 7.6 micrometers, respectively.
- Measured a finesse of 14.31, approaching the theoretical limit set by mirror reflectivity.
- Demonstrated the feasibility of micro-cavity FP etalons with polymer cholesteric mirrors.
Conclusions:
- The developed polymer cholesteric liquid-crystal mirrors enable the creation of compact Fabry-Perot etalons.
- This technology holds potential for tunable optical filters and other photonic applications.
- Further research can focus on enhancing mirror reflectivity to improve finesse.
