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Hybridization of femtosecond-laser written waveguides with liquid crystals

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posted on 2023-09-28, 10:13 authored by Kim Lammers, Alessandro Alberucci, Jisha Pannian, Alexander Szameit, Stefan Nolte
By incorporating a liquid crystal layer into waveguides created through direct laser writing, a tuneable waveplate in a fused silica waveguide is successfully realized. In the experiment, a voltage is applied to the birefringent liquid crystal layer, inducing changes in the internal molecular arrangement of the nematic liquid crystal (NLC). Owing to the voltage-induced rotation of the NLC molecules, the polarization of the transmitted light becomes dependent on the applied external electric field. This novel approach to polarization manipulation paves the way to a new family of reconfigurable devices and complex photonic circuits based upon femtosecond-written waveguides.

History

Funder Name

Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (259607349,GRK2101); H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (889525)

Preprint ID

109344

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