Title :
An Electrically Controlled Nematic Liquid Crystal Core Waveguide With a Low Switching Threshold
Author :
Shenoy, M.R. ; Sharma, Mukesh ; Sinha, Aloka
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Phys., Indian Inst. of Technol. Delhi, New Delhi, India
Abstract :
We demonstrate an electrically-controlled liquid crystal (LC) core waveguide, using 4-cyano-4´-pentylbiphenyl (5CB) nematic liquid crystal, fabricated on a glass substrate. A negative photoresist, AZ15nXT layer was coated on the glass substrate to realize a channel waveguide of core thickness 4.8 μm. The LC core waveguide exhibits strong differential attenuation for propagation of the TE- (horizontal) and TM-like (vertical) polarizations of light. The experimental results show that the output power suddenly drops down by several dB at an applied voltage of 1 V, for a waveguide of length 10 mm, due to the re-orientation of the LC molecules. The waveguide can be used as an optical switch, as well as an optical attenuator.
Keywords :
electro-optical switches; light polarisation; nematic liquid crystals; optical attenuators; optical polymers; optical waveguides; photoresists; 4-cyano-4´-pentylbiphenyl nematic liquid crystal; 5CB; AZ15nXT layer; LC core waveguide; LC molecule reorientation; TE-like light polarizations; TM-like light polarizations; channel waveguide; core thickness; electrically controlled nematic liquid crystal core waveguide; glass substrate; negative photoresist; optical attenuator; optical switch; output power; size 10 mm; size 4.8 mum; strong differential attenuation; switching threshold; voltage 1 V; Glass; Liquid crystals; Optical switches; Optical waveguides; Power generation; Refractive index; Threshold voltage; Electrooptic devices; liquid crystal devices; liquid crystals; liquid crystals,; optical switching devices;
Journal_Title :
Lightwave Technology, Journal of
DOI :
10.1109/JLT.2015.2404337
