Electro-chromic structure with a high degree of dielectric tunability

In conjunction with their electronically reconfigurable optical properties, inorganic, WO₃/LiNbO₃/NiO Electro-Chromic materials (EC) have recently been shown to exhibit a degree of electric field induced dielectric tunability at radio frequencies, to the level comparable with more mature bulk-tuneable technologies. However, the full extent of their dielectric tunability remains fully unexplored, due to a fundamental lack of understanding of its intricate tuning mechanisms. The unveiling of their tuning principles is paramount towards a comprehension of not only their optical and radio frequency dielectric tunability, but also for the creation of EC structures with substantial permittivity tuning ratios. Here, we report on an inorganic, WO₃ and LiNbO₃ - based EC structure with perturbed constituent layers. We developed and synthesised a new EC structure by inserting the chromic layers in the interior of the device and partitioning the electrolyte layer and assigning it to the device's peripheries. This new arrangement allows for an increase in the dielectric tunability of over three times compared to previously reported standard EC structures in the frequency range from 1-20 GHz.