Open AccessContinuously tunable intensity modulators with large switching contrasts using liquid crystal elastomer films that are deposited with terahertz metamaterials
Author(s) -
Wei Fan Chiang,
Harry Miyosi Silalahi,
YuChih Chiang,
Mi Chia Hsu,
Yan Song Zhang,
Jui Hsiang Liu,
Yanlei Yu,
Chia Rong Lee,
ChihYu Huang
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.399581
Subject(s) - metamaterial , materials science , terahertz radiation , transmittance , optics , optoelectronics , shutter , metamaterial absorber , terahertz spectroscopy and technology , split ring resonator , tunable metamaterials , physics
A liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) film is successfully deposited with a terahertz metamaterial using thermal evaporation via a programmed electronic shutter and high-efficiency cooling system. The transmittance of the metamaterial at its resonance frequency is monotonically increased from 0.0036 to 1.0 as a pump beam bends the LCE film, so the metamaterial has a large switching contrast of 277 at the frequency. The monotonic increase in the resonance transmittance arises from the constant resonance frequency of the metamaterial at the transmittance modulation and depicts that the metamaterial-deposited LCE film can continuously tune the transmitted intensity of a terahertz beam. The metamaterial-deposited LCE film has potential in developing continuously tunable intensity modulators with large switching contrasts for the application of terahertz imaging and terahertz communication. Therefore, the thermal evaporation expands the application of metamaterials and improves their optical properties.