Phase separated composite films of liquid crystals

Phase separation of liquid crystals from a solution with polymers has long been studied and used to prepare polymer stabilized and polymer dispersed structures. They are formed by spatially isotropic phase separation. A new mode, in which the phase separation proceeds anisotropically, has recently been discovered. Known as phase separated composite films (PSCOF), the resultant structures are made of adjacent parallel layers of liquid crystal and solidified polymer. PSCOFs have been made with nematic, ferroelectric (FLC), and antiferroelectric (AFLC) liquid crystals. Liquid crystals in PSCOFs exhibit electro-optical properties not observed in devices prepared by conventional methods, polymer dispersion, or polymer stabilization methods. Devices incorporating FLCs possess grey scale and switch 100 times faster at low fields than conventional surface stabilized devices. This method makes it possible to prepare very flexible devices and devices with liquid crystal film thickness comparable to optical wavelengths with great ease.     

Creation of tunable absolute bandgaps in a two-dimensional anisotropic photonic crystal modulated by a nematic liquid crystal

Photonic crystals (PCs) have many potential applications because of their ability to control light-wave propagation. We have investigated the tunable absolute bandgap in a two-dimensional anisotropic photonic crystal structures modulated by a nematic liquid crystal. The PC structure composed of an anisotropic-dielectric cylinder in the liquid crystal medium is studied by solving Maxwell's equations using the plane wave expansion method. The photonic band structures are found to exhibit absolute bandgaps for the square and triangular lattices. Numerical simulations show that the absolute bandgaps can be continuously tuned in the square and triangular lattices consisting of anisotropic-dielectric cylinders by infiltrating nematic liquid crystals. Such a mechanism of bandgap adjustment should open up a new application for designing components in photonic integrated circuits.     

Control of the transmission spectrum of a photonic crystal with lattice defects

The transmission spectrum of a one-dimensional photonic crystal with structural defects is investigated. An anisotropic layer of a nematic liquid crystal is considered as a defect. The possibility of effective external control of the transmission spectrum of the photonic crystal by changing either the orientational state of the defect liquid crystal layer (for example, using an electric field) or the angle of incidence of light is shown. It is established that the spectral properties of the photonic crystal change radically with a change in the optical characteristics of the defect layer in the vicinity of the temperature phase transition of the nematic liquid crystal to the isotropic state.     

Efficient tunable negative refraction photonic crystal achieved by an elliptic rod lattice with a nematic liquid crystal

Photonic crystals (PCs) have many potential applications because of their ability to control light-wave propagation. We have investigated the electromagnetic wave propagation inside an elliptic rod PC slab by means of finite-difference time-domain simulations. The band structure of the PC composed of elliptic rod in the square and triangular lattices is studied by solving Maxwell's equations using the plane wave expansion method. Numerical simulations show that the refractive angle can be tuned greatly by rotating the directors of elliptic rod in the PC slab. Furthermore, an optical switch based on elliptic rod PC structures with nematic liquid crystals was proposed. In the on/off switching system, the partial band gap can be controlled when the normalized operation frequency is 0.28. The modulation induced by liquid crystals created a sharp switching in the photonic devices. Such a mechanism of negative refraction PCs should open up a new application for designing components in photonic integrated circuits.     

Localized electromagnetic modes and the transmission spectrum of a one-dimensional photonic crystal with lattice defects

The properties of localized electromagnetic modes in a one-dimensional photonic crystal with a structural defect layer were studied. The role of the defect was played by an anisotropic nematic liquid crystal layer. The frequency and the damping factor of defect modes were shown to substantially depend on the defect layer thickness and the orientation of the optical axis of the nematic. The transmission spectra of photonic crystals with one and two lattice defects were studied. Taking into account the special feature of nematic liquid crystals distinguishing them from usual crystals, namely, large permittivity anisotropy, it was shown that the transmission spectrum of the photonic crystal could be controlled by varying the orientation of the optical axis of the nematic, for instance, under the action of an external electric field.     

New approaches for the fabrication of photonic structures of nonlinear optical materials

We revisited two different strategies to fabricate 1D photonic crystals of nonlinear optical dielectric materials based on ultrafast laser ablation of the surface of an RbTiOPO₄ crystal, and selective etching of ferroelectric domains of the surface of a periodically poled LiNbO₄ crystal. We evaluated their behaviour as Bragg diffraction gratings. We also presented the recent advances we developed in a new procedure of fabrication of 2D and 3D photonic crystals of KTiOPO₄ (KTP) grown on the surface of a KTP substrate by liquid phase epitaxial means within the pores of a silicon macroporous template. Optical, structural, morphological, and compositional characterization for the photonic crystals produced through this technique are presented.     

Light propagation in highly birefringent photonic liquid crystal fibers

Photonic liquid crystal fibers have already been demonstrated as a promising perspective for creation of new classes of dynamically tunable optical fiber devices. By combining different geometries of photonic crystal fibers with a variety of different liquid crystals it is possible to obtain a new generation of fibers with dynamically tunable properties, e.g., transmission spectra, attenuation or dispersion. In this paper, tunable birefringence in a commercially available highly birefringent Blazephotonics PM-1550-01 photonic crystal fiber selectively filled with a low birefringence liquid crystal has been experimentally demonstrated. Theses experimental results have been compared with simulations based on the multipole method.     

Entropy-driven aggregation of adhesion sites of supported membranes

A large number of interesting phenomena related to the insertion of colloidal particles in liquid crystals (LC) have recently been reported. Here, we investigate effects caused by the addition of spherically shaped ferroelectric nanoparticles to a nematic liquid crystal. Using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, the density of LC molecules, the orientational order parameter, and the polar and azimuthal angle profiles are calculated as functions of the distance to the center of the immersed nanoparticle for different temperatures of the system. We observe that the assembly of ferroelectric nanoparticles enhances the nematic order in the LC medium changing many properties of its host above the nematic-isotropic transition temperature T ^* _NI .     

Orientational coupling amplification in ferroelectric nematic colloids

We investigated the physical properties of low concentration ferroelectric nematic colloids, using calorimetry, optical methods, infrared spectroscopy, and capacitance studies. The resulting homogeneous colloids possess a significantly amplified nematic orientational coupling. We find that the nematic orientation coupling increases by approximately 10% for particle concentrations of 0.2%. A manifestation of the increased orientational order is that the clearing temperature of a nematic colloid increases by up to 40 degrees C compared to the pure liquid crystal host. A theoretical model is proposed in which the ferroelectric particles induce local dipoles whose effective interaction is proportional to the square of the orientational order parameter.     

Analysis of tunable bandgaps in liquid crystal-infiltrated 2D silicon photonic crystals

We present a theoretical study on two-dimensional photonic crystals composed of silicon and the E7 liquid crystal. We analyze how the optical axis orientation of the liquid crystal influences the photonic bands and bandgaps, for the case when the Maxwell equations can be decoupled into the TE and TM modes. We consider two different structures, a triangular lattice of E7 liquid crystal cylinders in a silicon background and a triangular lattice of silicon cylinders in an E7 liquid crystal background. The effect of the liquid crystal anisotropy on the geometry of the irreducible Brillouin zone allows us to propose a simplified way to calculate the photonic bandgaps. Results show that the bandgap width and center frequency have a 60° periodicity for both structures. Using the plane-wave expansion method, we determined the maximum bandgap and the optimal radius of the cylinders for each structure. Finally, for the second structure, we propose an optical switch with a 50% duty cycle. These structures can be applied to design tunable photonic devices.     

Plasmon electro-optic effect in a subwavelength metallic nanograting with a nematic liquid crystal

The electro-optic effect in hybrid structures based on subwavelength metallic nanogratings in contact with a layer of a nematic liquid crystal has been experimentally studied. Metallic gratings are fabricated in the form of interdigitated electrodes, which makes it possible to use them not only as optical elements but also for the production of an electric field in a thin surface region of the layer of the liquid crystal. It has been shown that, owing to the electric-field-induced reorientation of molecules of the liquid crystal near the surface of the grating, it is possible to significantly control the spectral features of the transmission of light, which are caused by the excitation of surface plasmons. The electro-optic effect is superfast for liquid crystal devices because a change in the optical properties of the system requires the reorientation of molecules only in a very thin surface layer of the liquid crystal.     

Preparation and characterization of a large mode area liquid-filled photonic crystal fiber: transition from isolated to coupled spatial modes

We describe in detail the manufacturing procedures for selectively closing holes in photonics crystal fibers and their infiltration with different liquids. We apply our method to create a large mode area liquid-filled photonic crystal fiber which consists of 19 liquid strands. By changing the mixing ratio between toluene and ethanol and by varying the temperature, we show continuous tuning from isolated to coupled behavior of the spatial mode profile. This demonstrates the versatility of selectively closed liquid-filled photonic crystal fibers for future photonic devices. Filling with nonlinear liquids, gases, metals, liquid crystals, low melting compound glasses, or quantum dots is possible, and spatial as well as temporal engineering of linear and nonlinear optical properties will become feasible, which should allow the observation of spatiotemporal solitons.     

Ultrafast photonic crystal optical switching

Photonic crystal, a novel and artificial photonic material with periodic dielectric distribution, possesses photonic bandgap and can control the propagation states of photons. Photonic crystal has been considered to be a promising candidate for the future integrated photonic devices. The properties and the fabrication method of photonic crystal are expounded. The progresses of the study of ultrafast photonic crystal optical switching are discussed in detail.     

铁电液晶螺旋结构的理论近似研究

由铁电液晶（FLC）手性近晶C相下螺旋结构的理论近似计算得出FLC一个螺距内平均折射率的表达式,根据表达式可得出一个螺距内的FLC分子作为一个整体可以看成一个向列相液晶分子模型的结论.当FLC沿螺旋轴方向的厚度等于FLC螺距的整数倍时,液晶盒内垂直取向的FLC分子可看作向列相液晶模型组成的集合.ZLI-3654型FLC与5CB型向列相液晶的实验结果验证了上述结论,理论结果和实验结果一致.这一理论可为畸变螺旋FLC和垂直排列畸变螺旋FLC器件的制备以及FLC的应用提供理论指导和更深的认识. 关键词： 铁电液晶 螺距 平均折射率 向列相液晶     

Properties of the defect mode in one-dimensional ferroelectric Si/C60 photonic crystals

In the present paper, a novel photonic crystal (PC) defect mode is designed by inserting a ferroelectric material layer (LiNbO₃) into Si/C₆₀ one-dimensional PCs. The band structure of the ferroelectric PCs is numerically analyzed by the transfer matrix method (TMM). The width of the photonic band gap increases by 80 nm and a defect mode appears at a central wavelength of 680 nm when a 150 nm LiNbO₃ layer is inserted into the Si/C₆₀ PC structure. The defect mode in the band gap shifts linearly with the change in electric field. The defect mode shifts by 11.2 nm toward shorter wavelengths when the thin film is subjected to a DC voltage of 1 KV.     

Multiple slow light bands in photonic crystal coupled resonator optical waveguides constructed with a portion of photonic quasicrystals

Coupled resonator optical waveguides (CROWs) in complex two-dimensional (2D) photonic crystals (PCs) constructed with a portion of 12-fold photonic quasicrystals (PQs) are proposed. We show that enhanced transmission and slow light can be simultaneously achieved in such waveguides as well as general CROWs. Moreover, due to higher degree of flexibility and tunability of PQs for defect mode properties compared to conventional periodic PCs, multiple slow light bands can be flexibly obtained in CROWs constructed with complex 2D PCs. Our results may lead to the development of a variety of novel ultracompact devices for photonic integrated circuits.     

Light scattering by some nematic liquid crystals due to phase transitions

New computer modelling of light scattering and its propagation through liquid crystal has been presented using T-matrix method in the structural phase transition regions. Numerical aspects of light scattering process, which are based on numerically solving Maxwell's equations, were calculated for some nematic liquid crystals. Firstly, we described in detail T-matrix method for computing light scattering from nematic liquid crystals and presented results of benchmark computations for the considered model. We reported results of extensive calculations for polydisperse, randomly oriented rod-like multilayered systems (nematic liquid crystals). Our results are associated with light scattering by ferroelectric and ferroelastic materials.     

基于光子晶体马赫-曾德尔干涉仪的太赫兹开关及强度调制器

通过对二维正方晶格光子晶体线缺陷模色散曲线慢光特性的研究, 利用外电场对液晶分子取向的调控作用, 在填充液晶的正方晶格波导的马赫-曾德尔干涉仪结构中实现了开关和强度调制等功能. 利用平面波展开法计算了光子晶体波导的线缺陷模, 分析了液晶折射率的变化对缺陷模的影响. 计算表明, 液晶折射率仅改变了0.1, 线缺陷模有效折射率改变达0.168, 该特性可以更为有效地实现对相位的控制, 进而实现高消光比开关和强度调制功能, 这种高效的相位调节器件在集成光系统中将有很好的应用前景.     

Laser beam manipulation by composite material electro-optic devices

Liquid crystals are anisotropic materials whose optical properties can be easily controlled applying an electric field. For this reason, they are widely used in electro-optical devices. Besides other applications, liquid crystals electro-optical devices are suitable for laser beam manipulation. In this paper, we present some devices developed or studied in our laboratory: a twisted nematic liquid crystal (TN-LC) polarization rotator, a TN-LC protected light sensor, a polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) light modulator, a PDLC optoelectronic polarizer and a polymer liquid crystal (PoLiCryst) light modulator.     

Effect of graphene oxide dispersion in antiferroelectric liquid crystal mixture in the verge of SmC* to SmCA* phase transition

The continuous growing demand for nanoscience applications and the improvement in the performance of liquid crystal based devices has been extensively required by the technological world. Recent progress in the field of liquid crystals has found its practical implementation in various display and non display devices which experiences obstacle due to impurity effects that reduces its performance. The dispersion of nanoparticles in liquid crystal medium helps in the reduction of impurity ions and thus improving the performance of liquid crystal based devices. The present work is based on the collective dielectric relaxation processes that have been observed in antiferroelectric liquid crystal (AFLC) mixture W1000 dispersed with 0.1% wt/wt and 0.3% wt/wt concentrations of graphene oxide. Graphene oxide itself favors vertical alignment and the coupling of AFLC W1000 mixture with graphene oxide affects its molecular ordering. This has been confirmed from the polarizing optical micrographs. The dielectric relaxation modes have been observed with and without the application of bias voltage in SmC* to SmC_A* phase transition during cooling cycle. The appearance and disappearance of P_L, P_H and X modes have been observed and are explained on the basis of molecular interactions. Graphene oxide dispersed system favors homeotropic alignment (dark state) and the application of bias field will convert it into homogenous alignment (bright state). Graphene oxide dispersion find prospective applications in good contrast display devices, supercapacitors, electronic gadgets, rechargeable batteries. Electro optical results unveil the faster response time, decreased rotational viscosity and spontaneous polarization with no change in tilt angle for the dispersed system. These observations can be exploited in photonic switches with sub millisecond response time which are required for fabricating faster liquid crystal devices.