Electrotunable in-plane one-dimensional photonic structure based on silicon and liquid crystal

Abstract

The model of the electro-optical effect, due to the reorientation of liquid crystal molecules from a pseudoisotropic to a homeotropic state, in a composite photonic structure with a liquid crystal filler, is elaborated. A composite (110) grooved silicon photonic structure for the middle infrared range was designed and fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator platform. Polarized reflection spectra, demonstrating the electro-optical effect, have been obtained by means of Fourier transform infrared microscopy. The relative shift of the band edge at half intensity in the region of 10μm was found experimentally to be 1.6% compared to 2.2% as predicted by theory.