Tunable Channel Drop Filter in a Two-Dimensional Photonic Crystal Modulated by a Nematic Liquid Crystal

Liu, Chen-Yang; Chen, Lien-Wen

doi:https://doi.org/10.1155/JNM/2006/52946

Journal of Nanomaterials

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Volume 2006 | Article ID 052946 | https://doi.org/10.1155/JNM/2006/52946

Tunable Channel Drop Filter in a Two-Dimensional Photonic Crystal Modulated by a Nematic Liquid Crystal

Chen-Yang Liu¹and Lien-Wen Chen¹

Academic Editor: Bohua Sun

Received27 Sept 2005

Revised15 Feb 2006

Accepted23 Feb 2006

Published17 Apr 2006

Abstract

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 circuits. We propose a novel tunable PC channel drop filter based on nematic liquid crystals and investigate its properties numerically by using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. The refractive indices of liquid crystals can be actively modulated after infiltrating nematic liquid crystals into the microcavity in PC waveguides with square lattices. Then we can control light propagation in a PC waveguide. We analyze the Q-factors and resonance frequencies of a tunable PC channel drop filter by considering various indices modulation of liquid crystals. The novel component can be used as wavelength division multiplexing in photonic integrated circuits.

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Copyright

Copyright © 2006 Chen-Yang Liu and Lien-Wen Chen. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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