Optically tuned resonant optical reflectance filter

Abstract

We describe the design, fabrication, and characterization of a narrow band tunable guided mode resonance (GMR) reflectance filter that is actuated by optically induced trans-cis isomerization of an azobenzene liquid crystal. Constructing a plastic replica-molded containment cell with a rubbed polyimide film to initially direct the liquid crystal molecular orientation parallel to the grating lines of the GMR filter, isomerization caused by exposure to a λ=532nm laser results in a −25nm shift of the resonant reflected wavelength.

Azopolymer‐based micro‐ and nanopatterning for photonic applications

“…Rather than being used as simple light absorbers, azobenzene derivatives allow for controlling light with light through photomodification of the material systems they are incorporated into. They are attractive in view of various applications that make use of photon absorption, controllable light emission or frequency conversion, and light propagation . The photoisomerization reaction can be exploited in context with functional monolayers, gels, polymers, and liquid crystals, and it allows for photocontrol over the structure and function of biomaterials and molecular machines .…”

All-polymer photonic crystal slab sensor

“…In addition to providing means for novel optical elements, such as wavelength selective mirrors, polarizers [1], waveplates [2], tunable filters [3][4][5][6][7] and ultrabroadband mirrors [8], such resonant gratings have increasingly found their way into a myriad of different sensing applications, such as chemical and environmental sensing [9,10], label-free biosensing [11][12][13], cancer screening [14,15], photonic crystal enhanced microscopy [16] and three dimensional imaging [17]. These resonant gratings, referred to here as photonic crystal slabs (PCS) [18], but also known as guided mode resonance filters or reflectors [1,19] and photonic crystal resonant reflectors [20] in the literature, are essentially slab waveguides in which the high refractive index waveguide core is in some way periodically modulated, such as by refractive index or thickness, and surrounded by cladding media of lower refractive indices [1,18].…”

Location effect on gold nano bi-domes based absorption coefficient

“…In addition, subsequent resist processing, use of chemical solvents, glancing angle deposition, etching, or lift-off, are not required for this method, thereby further reducing the associated fabrication cost. Using this technique, a variety of nano structured devices have been manufactured, including photonic crystals for label-free bio sensing and enhanced fluorescence, distributed-feedback laser biosensors, as well as tunable optical filters (Block et al 2009;Ganesh et al 2007;Zhang et al 2008;Yang et al 2008). Recently, a plasmonic nano dome array fabricated by nano replica molding process has been demonstrated as a surface-enhanced Raman scattering surface (Choi et al , 2010Wu et al 2012).…”