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Updated: Jun 30, 2026
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Measuring Magnetically-Tuned Ferroelectric Polarization in Liquid Crystals
Published on: August 15, 2018
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GHz-rate optical phase shift in light-matter interaction-engineered, silicon-ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals
Iman Taghavi1,2, Omid Esmaeeli3, Sheri Jahan Chowdhury3
1Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada. staghavi3@ece.ubc.ca.
Nature Communications
|October 7, 2025
Summary
Ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals enable GHz-fast electro-optic phase shifts, overcoming limitations of traditional organic materials. This breakthrough facilitates hybrid silicon-organic photonics with CMOS compatibility and improved performance.
Area of Science:
- Photonics
- Materials Science
- Organic Electronics
Background:
- Organic electro-optic materials show promise for phase shifters but face integration and durability challenges.
- Existing technologies like electro-optic polymers require poling, and paraelectric liquid crystals have slow bandwidth.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals for advanced electro-optic phase shifting.
- To develop a CMOS-compatible hybrid silicon-organic system with high performance and simplified fabrication.
Main Methods:
- Utilized ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals in a waveguide architecture for enhanced light-matter interaction.
- Implemented a fabrication process requiring only one lithography step.
Main Results:
- Achieved GHz-fast phase shifts with significant second-order nonlinear optical coefficients (Pockels effect).
- Reported DC and AC modulation efficiencies of ≈ 0.25 V·mm and ≈ 25.7 V·mm, respectively.
- Demonstrated an electro-optic bandwidth exceeding 4.18 GHz with ≈ 2.6 dB insertion loss.
Conclusions:
- Ferroelectric nematic liquid crystals offer a viable alternative to existing electro-optic materials, avoiding poling issues.
- The developed technology paves the way for high-speed, CMOS-compatible hybrid silicon-organic photonic devices.
