Optically controlled holographic beam splitter

Abstract

We present the results of realization and study of a light beam splitting effect based on a full-optically controlled holographic diffraction grating. The high quality, light responsive, periodic structure, which is exploited as tunable beam splitter, is monitored by combining its zero and first diffracted orders in a Mach-Zehnder geometry interferometer. The interference pattern exhibits a dependence of the fringe visibility on the external optical pump power utilized to drive the splitting effect. The visibility, characterized by means of a standard pump-probe optical setup, reveals a strong dependence on the polarization of the probe radiation and on its incident angle as well. The effect is reversible and repeatable, and shows a continuously adjustable fringe visibility in the range 0.94-0.2, with response times in the millisecond range.

Light Sensitive Liquid Crystals for All-Optical Photonic Devices

“…In these structures, the NLC can be conveniently removed by using a microfluidic etching process and the obtained polymeric template can be filled, in a second step, with self-organizing materials. Here, we propose a review of some all-optical devices [14][15][16] realized by combining the high quality morphology of the polymeric template with the high performance properties of a PLC of the CPND series. In particular, we show that it is possible to exploit the light sensitive microstructure as all-optical diffraction grating and as an optical controlled beam splitter as well.…”