Plasmon resonance optical tuning based on photosensitive composite structures

Abstract

This paper reports a numerical investigation of a periodic metallic structure sandwiched between two quartz plates. The volume comprised between the quartz plates and the metallic structure is infiltrated by a mixture of azo-dye-doped liquid crystal. The exposure to a low power visible light beam modifies the azo dye molecular configuration, thus allowing the wavelength shift of the resonance of the system. The wavelength shift depends on the geometry of the periodic structure and it also depends on the intensity of the visible light beam.

Spatially Broadband Coupled-Surface Plasmon Wave Assisted Transmission Effect in Azo-Dye-Doped Liquid Crystal Cell

“…The large δn difference of LC molecules makes them highly sensitive to the effects of polarization, which means that they could be potentially used in the fabrication of polarization-sensitive metamaterials [21,22]. Many reports have demonstrated the SPPs can be tuned by altering the liquid crystal (LC) layer [12,17,18,23,24]. Previous reports have computed complex SPP modes and demonstrated SPP diffraction effects [14,25].…”

All-optical switching of nematic liquid crystal films driven by localized surface plasmons

“…This aspect has made LCs the ideal materials for designing novel active plasmonic devices that are easily reconfigurable in situ, where typically an external electric field is used to drive the LC orientational changes, which, in turn tune the LPR [10][11][12][13]. There are additional instances of light-driven tuning of LPR using additional alignment layers LCs [14,15], dye-LC composite mixtures [16], and of using LC re-orientation to control AuNP directionality [17]. In all these studies, the focus is on altering the spectral properties of the AuNPs by changing the LC orientation.…”