Open AccessSwitching the second harmonic generation by a dielectric metasurface via tunable liquid crystal
Author(s) -
Davide Rocco,
Luca Carletti,
Roberto Caputo,
Marco Finazzi,
Michele Celebrano,
Costantino De Angelis
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.386776
Subject(s) - materials science , optics , optoelectronics , liquid crystal , second harmonic generation , signal (programming language) , dielectric , nonlinear optics , voltage , harmonic , holography , physics , computer science , laser , quantum mechanics , programming language
Optical modulators are key ingredients in optoelectronics applications ranging from energy harvesting, sensor and imaging devices. In this framework, nonlinear photon conversion mechanisms constitute an attractive opportunity to add logic capabilities to these apparatuses. Here, we investigate the directionality of the emitted second harmonic signal generated in a dielectric metasurface consisting of AlGaAs nanocylinders embedded into a liquid crystal matrix. We numerically demonstrate that, by switching the liquid crystal orientation with a realistic voltage bias, it is possible to modulate the total power and the emission pattern of the SH signal coming from the proposed metasurface. Our results open important opportunities for tunable metadevices such as nonlinear holograms and dynamic displays.