Title :
Nematic Liquid Crystal Optical Channel Waveguides on Silicon
Author :
d´Alessandro, Antonio ; Bellini, Bruno ; Donisi, D. ; Beccherelli, Romeo ; Asquini, Rita
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electron. Eng., Rome Univ.
Abstract :
We demonstrate the first channel waveguides made of E7 nematic liquid crystal (LC) in SiO2-Si V-grooves. The grooves have been obtained by wet etching n-Si substrates first and then by thermally growing an approximately 2-mum-thick SiO2 cladding layer. Propagation of infrared light at a wavelength of 1550 nm shows a good optical confinement in 10-mum-wide LC waveguides. Modal analysis and beam propagation simulations predict single mode propagation. This is experimentally confirmed by the acquired near field images. The optical waveguide acts as an integrated optic polarizer, since only vertical polarization can propagate due to the orientation of the LC molecules. The horizontal polarization state is suppressed by more than 25 dB
Keywords :
elemental semiconductors; etching; integrated optics; nematic liquid crystals; optical polarisers; optical waveguides; silicon; silicon compounds; 10 mum; 1550 nm; 2 mum; E7 nematic liquid crystal; SiO2-Si; SiO2-Si V-grooves; beam propagation simulation; integrated optic polarizer; modal analysis; optical channel waveguides; silicon; single mode propagation; wet etching; Analytical models; Integrated optics; Liquid crystal on silicon; Liquid crystals; Liquid waveguides; Modal analysis; Optical polarization; Optical propagation; Optical waveguides; Wet etching; Integrated optic polarizers; liquid crystal (LC); optical waveguides; silicon photonics;
Journal_Title :
Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of
DOI :
10.1109/JQE.2006.881827
