Optofluidic Platform Based on Liquid Crystals in X-Cut Lithium Niobate: Thresholdless All-Optical Response
In this study, we present a new configuration of the recently reported optofluidic platform exploiting liquid crystals reorientation in lithium niobate channels. In order to avoid the threshold behaviour observed in the optical control of the device, we propose microchannels realized in a x-cut crys...
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doaj-e7151f0585c946b29192c919f3f972192021-08-26T13:39:22ZengMDPI AGCrystals2073-43522021-08-011190890810.3390/cryst11080908Optofluidic Platform Based on Liquid Crystals in X-Cut Lithium Niobate: Thresholdless All-Optical ResponseFabrizio Ciciulla0Annamaria Zaltron1Riccardo Zamboni2Cinzia Sada3Francesco Simoni4Victor Yu. Reshetnyak5Liana Lucchetti6Dipartimento SIMAU, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60131 Ancona, ItalyPhysics and Astronomy Department, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, ItalyPhysics and Astronomy Department, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, ItalyPhysics and Astronomy Department, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, ItalyDipartimento SIMAU, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60131 Ancona, ItalyPhysics Faculty, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, 01601 Kyiv, UkraineDipartimento SIMAU, Università Politecnica delle Marche, 60131 Ancona, ItalyIn this study, we present a new configuration of the recently reported optofluidic platform exploiting liquid crystals reorientation in lithium niobate channels. In order to avoid the threshold behaviour observed in the optical control of the device, we propose microchannels realized in a x-cut crystal closed by a z-cut crystal on the top. In this way, the light-induced photovoltaic field is not uniform inside the liquid crystal layer and therefore the conditions for a thresholdless reorientation are realized. We performed simulations of the photovoltaic effect based on the well assessed model for Lithium Niobate, showing that not uniform orientation and value of the field should be expected inside the microchannel. In agreement with the re-orientational properties of nematic liquid crystals, experimental data confirm the expected thresholdless behaviour. The observed liquid crystal response exhibits two different regimes and the response time shows an unusual dependence on light intensity, both features indicating the presence of additional photo-induced fields appearing above a light intensity of 10<sup>7</sup> W/m<sup>2</sup>.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/11/8/908lithium niobateliquid crystalsthreshold-less responsephotovoltaicoptofluidics |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Fabrizio Ciciulla Annamaria Zaltron Riccardo Zamboni Cinzia Sada Francesco Simoni Victor Yu. Reshetnyak Liana Lucchetti |
spellingShingle |
Fabrizio Ciciulla Annamaria Zaltron Riccardo Zamboni Cinzia Sada Francesco Simoni Victor Yu. Reshetnyak Liana Lucchetti Optofluidic Platform Based on Liquid Crystals in X-Cut Lithium Niobate: Thresholdless All-Optical Response Crystals lithium niobate liquid crystals threshold-less response photovoltaic optofluidics |
author_facet |
Fabrizio Ciciulla Annamaria Zaltron Riccardo Zamboni Cinzia Sada Francesco Simoni Victor Yu. Reshetnyak Liana Lucchetti |
author_sort |
Fabrizio Ciciulla |
title |
Optofluidic Platform Based on Liquid Crystals in X-Cut Lithium Niobate: Thresholdless All-Optical Response |
title_short |
Optofluidic Platform Based on Liquid Crystals in X-Cut Lithium Niobate: Thresholdless All-Optical Response |
title_full |
Optofluidic Platform Based on Liquid Crystals in X-Cut Lithium Niobate: Thresholdless All-Optical Response |
title_fullStr |
Optofluidic Platform Based on Liquid Crystals in X-Cut Lithium Niobate: Thresholdless All-Optical Response |
title_full_unstemmed |
Optofluidic Platform Based on Liquid Crystals in X-Cut Lithium Niobate: Thresholdless All-Optical Response |
title_sort |
optofluidic platform based on liquid crystals in x-cut lithium niobate: thresholdless all-optical response |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Crystals |
issn |
2073-4352 |
publishDate |
2021-08-01 |
description |
In this study, we present a new configuration of the recently reported optofluidic platform exploiting liquid crystals reorientation in lithium niobate channels. In order to avoid the threshold behaviour observed in the optical control of the device, we propose microchannels realized in a x-cut crystal closed by a z-cut crystal on the top. In this way, the light-induced photovoltaic field is not uniform inside the liquid crystal layer and therefore the conditions for a thresholdless reorientation are realized. We performed simulations of the photovoltaic effect based on the well assessed model for Lithium Niobate, showing that not uniform orientation and value of the field should be expected inside the microchannel. In agreement with the re-orientational properties of nematic liquid crystals, experimental data confirm the expected thresholdless behaviour. The observed liquid crystal response exhibits two different regimes and the response time shows an unusual dependence on light intensity, both features indicating the presence of additional photo-induced fields appearing above a light intensity of 10<sup>7</sup> W/m<sup>2</sup>. |
topic |
lithium niobate liquid crystals threshold-less response photovoltaic optofluidics |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/11/8/908 |
work_keys_str_mv |
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