Electrical tuning of refraction in a two-dimensional photonic crystal infilled with a liquid crystal

We study a novel electro-optic structure with potential applications for ray steering, optical multiplexers, logic gates or switches. Our idea is based on the electrical tuning of refraction in a two-dimensional photonic crystal infilled by a liquid-crystal, with a direct-current electric field appl...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: J.A Reyes-Avendaño, P. Halevi
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2008
País:México
Institución:Instituto Nacional de Astrofísica, Óptica y Electrónica
Repositorio:Redalyc-INAOE
OAI Identifier:oai:redalyc.org:57016053001
Acceso en línea:https://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=57016053001
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Física, Astronomía y Matemáticas
liquid crystals
Photonic crystals
optical properties
Descripción
Sumario:We study a novel electro-optic structure with potential applications for ray steering, optical multiplexers, logic gates or switches. Our idea is based on the electrical tuning of refraction in a two-dimensional photonic crystal infilled by a liquid-crystal, with a direct-current electric field applied parallel to the cylinders. Using a two-step homogenization process, we show that, for sufficiently low frequencies, this structure can be represented by two field-dependent effective refractive indices. We demonstrate that the direction of the ordinary and extraordinary refracted rays can be sensitively tuned by varying the magnitude of the applied field.