Reconfigurable liquid-core/liquid-cladding optical waveguides with dielectrophoresis-driven virtual microchannels on...

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Microfluidics
• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering

Background:

• Traditional optical waveguides often rely on fixed physical structures.
• Reconfigurable waveguides are crucial for advanced optical networks and integrated photonics.
• Liquid-core/liquid-cladding (L(2)) waveguides offer unique optical properties but require stable interfaces.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an electrically reconfigurable liquid-core/liquid-cladding (L(2)) optical waveguide.
• To utilize dielectrophoresis (DEP) for forming and controlling virtual microchannels for light guidance.
• To investigate both stationary and moving waveguide configurations for versatile optical switching.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a parallel-plate electromicrofluidic device with Teflon-coated ITO electrodes.
• Employing dielectrophoresis (DEP) to manipulate γ-butyrolactone (GBL) as the core liquid within silicone oil cladding.
• Designing and testing stationary (L-shaped, spiral, straight) and moving waveguide configurations.

Main Results:

• Successfully guided light in stationary L-shaped and spiral L(2) waveguides with GBL core.
• Achieved a propagation loss of 2.09 dB cm(-1) in a stationary straight GBL waveguide.
• Demonstrated a moving L(2) waveguide by shifting the GBL core at speeds up to 0.929 mm s(-1) using electrowetting and DEP.

Conclusions:

• Dielectrophoresis enables the creation of stable, reconfigurable virtual microchannels for L(2) optical waveguides.
• The proposed electromicrofluidic platform allows for dynamic control and switching of light paths.
• This technology offers a promising, simply fabricated approach for tunable optical devices with limited liquid volumes.