Abstract

This study reports a structure, based on a liquid-crystal (LC) core optical waveguide, for the switchable spatial control of linearly polarized light. The refractive indices of both left and right isotropic claddings in the waveguide are between the two principal-axis indices of the nematic liquid crystal (NLC). Numerical simulations demonstrate that the proposed structure can be operated in transmission mode or as an attenuator by controlling the on and off states of the applied voltage, whether the initial excitation is transverse electric (TE) linearly polarized light or transverse magnetic (TM) linearly polarized light. The design can also be used as an integrated optical polarizer, since only one type of linearly polarized light is always permitted to pass through the core zone of the NLC optical waveguide.

© 2023 Optical Society of Korea

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