Open AccessTunable photonic-crystal waveguide Mach-Zehnder interferometer achieved by nematic liquid-crystal phase modulation
Author(s) -
Chen Yang Liu,
Lien-Wen Chen
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/opex.12.002616
Subject(s) - interferometry , optics , mach–zehnder interferometer , liquid crystal , waveguide , astronomical interferometer , interference (communication) , refractive index , materials science , phase modulation , photonic crystal , phase (matter) , photonics , modulation (music) , optoelectronics , physics , phase noise , telecommunications , channel (broadcasting) , quantum mechanics , computer science , acoustics
Photonic crystals (PCs) have many potential applications because of their ability to control light-wave propagation and because PC-based waveguides may be integrated into optical interferometers. We propose a novel tunable PC waveguide Mach-Zehnder interferometer based on nematic liquid crystals and investigate its interference properties numerically by using the finite-difference time-domain method. We can change the refractive indices of liquid crystals by rotating the directors of the liquid crystals. Then we can control the phase of light propagation in a PC waveguide Mach-Zehnder interferometer. The interference mechanism is a change in the refractive indices of liquid-crystal waveguides. The novel interferometer can be used either as an optically controlled on-off switch or as an amplitude modulator in optical circuits.