Liquid‐Crystal‐Mediated Active Waveguides toward Programmable Integrated Optics

• DOI: 10.1002/adom.201902033
• Publication Date: 2020-03-18T20:47:33Z
• Authors: Ting Wei; Peng Chen; Ming‐Jie Tang; Guang‐Xing Wu; Zhao‐Xian Chen; Zhi‐Xiong Shen; Shi‐Jun Ge; Fei Xu; Wei Hu; Yan‐Qing Lu
• Keywords: Integrated Optics

Abstract Optics, playing an ever‐important role in life, is developing toward miniaturization and integration. Particularly, the field programming of integrated optics will benefit its functionality durability, thus highly pursued. Here, through precisely controlling space‐variant orientations anisotropic liquid crystals (LCs), various graded‐index waveguides are demonstrated a homogeneous medium. Straight/bending ring resonators fabricated via LC photopatterning. They exhibit pronounced polychromatic light‐guiding performance. Thanks to their intrinsic external‐stimuli responsivity, thermal switchability polarization tunability verified. By selectively polymerizing, robust functional components active connecting can be realized on same chip. It provides practical universal solution programmable optics, extends applications microstructured soft matter even wearable photonics.