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Electrically Tuneable Optical Diffraction Gratings Based on a Polymer Scaffold Filled with a Nematic Liquid Crystal
Dejan Bošnjaković1,2, Mathias Fleisch3,4, Xinzheng Zhang5
1Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Jadranska 19, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Polymers
|July 24, 2021
Summary
We developed electrically tunable diffractive optical elements using liquid crystal and polymer slices. These novel devices offer controllable optical transmission gratings for advanced photonic applications.
Area of Science:
- Photonics and Materials Science
- Optics and Liquid Crystal Physics
Background:
- Electrically tunable optical elements are crucial for advanced photonic applications.
- Liquid crystal (LC) and polymer composites offer unique electro-optic properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the optical diffractive properties of electrically tunable transmission gratings.
- To explore the fabrication of liquid crystal-polymer based diffractive optical elements (DOEs).
Main Methods:
- Experimental and theoretical analysis of gratings made from nematic liquid crystal (E7) and SU-8 photoresist.
- Numerical and analytical minimization of Landau-de Gennes free energy to determine LC reorientation.
- Rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) to calculate optical diffraction properties.
Main Results:
- External electric fields induce twist-type reorientation of LC molecules.
- Polymer slices exhibit planar surface anchoring for LC molecules with varying energy (5-20 μJ/m²).
- Experimental and theoretical results show good agreement.
Conclusions:
- The developed LC-polymer structures are versatile for fabricating electrically tunable diffractive optical elements.
- This approach enables precise control over optical diffraction through electrical tuning.
