Dynamically Tunable Optical Cavities with Embedded Nematic Liquid Crystalline Networks
Artikel i vetenskaplig tidskrift, 2023

Tunable metal–insulator–metal (MIM) Fabry–Pérot (FP) cavities that can dynamically control light enable novel sensing, imaging and display applications. However, the realization of dynamic cavities incorporating stimuli-responsive materials poses a significant engineering challenge. Current approaches rely on refractive index modulation and suffer from low dynamic tunability, high losses, and limited spectral ranges, and require liquid and hazardous materials for operation. To overcome these challenges, a new tuning mechanism employing reversible mechanical adaptations of a polymer network is proposed, and dynamic tuning of optical resonances is demonstrated. Solid-state temperature-responsive optical coatings are developed by preparing a monodomain nematic liquid crystalline network (LCN) and are incorporated between metallic mirrors to form active optical microcavities. LCN microcavities offer large, reversible and highly linear spectral tuning of FP resonances reaching wavelength-shifts up to 40 nm via thermomechanical actuation while featuring outstanding repeatability and precision over more than 100 heating–cooling cycles. This degree of tunability allows for reversible switching between the reflective and the absorbing states of the device over the entire visible and near-infrared spectral regions, reaching large changes in reflectance with modulation efficiency ΔR = 79%.

stimuli-responsive polymers

liquid crystalline networks

tunable optical cavities

Fabry–Pérot cavities

metal–insulator–metal resonators

dynamic tuning

elastomers

Författare

Irina Zubritskaya

Göteborgs universitet

Stanford University

Rafael Cichelero

Göteborgs universitet

Ihar Faniayeu

Göteborgs universitet

Daniele Martella

Istituto nazionale di ricerca metrologica (INRiM)

LENS - European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy

Sara Nocentini

Istituto nazionale di ricerca metrologica (INRiM)

LENS - European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy

Per Rudquist

Chalmers, Mikroteknologi och nanovetenskap, Elektronikmaterial

Diederik Sybolt Wiersma

Universita degli Studi di Firenze

LENS - European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy

Istituto nazionale di ricerca metrologica (INRiM)

Mark L. Brongersma

Stanford University

Advanced Materials

09359648 (ISSN) 15214095 (eISSN)

Vol. 35 13 2209152

Ämneskategorier

Atom- och molekylfysik och optik

Textil-, gummi- och polymermaterial

Annan fysik

DOI

10.1002/adma.202209152

PubMed

36683324

Mer information

Senast uppdaterat

2024-03-07