Current Optics and Photonics

Optical Society of Korea (한국광학회)
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Switchable Spatial Control of Linearly Polarized Light Based on a Liquid-crystal Optical Waveguide

  • Zhengtao, Zha (School of Physics and Astronomy, China West Normal University) ;
  • Qianshu, Zhang (School of Electronic Information Engineering, China West Normal University)
  • Received : 2022.10.17
  • Accepted : 2022.11.26
  • Published : 2023.02.25
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Abstract

This study reports a structure, based on a liquid-crystal (LC) core optical waveguide, for the switchable spatial control of linearly polarized light. The refractive indices of both left and right isotropic claddings in the waveguide are between the two principal-axis indices of the nematic liquid crystal (NLC). Numerical simulations demonstrate that the proposed structure can be operated in transmission mode or as an attenuator by controlling the on and off states of the applied voltage, whether the initial excitation is transverse electric (TE) linearly polarized light or transverse magnetic (TM) linearly polarized light. The design can also be used as an integrated optical polarizer, since only one type of linearly polarized light is always permitted to pass through the core zone of the NLC optical waveguide.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

Applied Basic Research Project of Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province (2014JY0024); Scientific Research Fund of Science and Technology Bureau of Nanchong City (19YFZJ0090); Scientific Research Foundation of China West Normal University (17YC056).

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