Tuning the focal point of a plasmonic lens by nematic liquid crystal

M. Bahramipanah; M. S. Abrishamian; S. A. Mirtaheri

doi:10.2971/jeos.2012.12053

Journal of the European Optical Society - Rapid publications, Vol 7 (2012)

Tuning the focal point of a plasmonic lens by nematic liquid crystal

M. Bahramipanah, M. S. Abrishamian, S. A. Mirtaheri

Abstract

A theoretical and numerical investigation of tunable plasmonic nano-optic lens on the basis of liquid crystal are proposed as a new method of active modulating the output beam. The focal length can be controlled easily by exposing plasmonic nano-optic lens to constant external electric field. The physical principle of this phenomenon is evaluated from the phase of Fabry-Perot (F-P) resonance in slits and electro-optical effect of liquid crystal. Our numerical simulations reveal that large tuning range of the focal length up to 725 nm can be achieved. The results in this article provide a potential way to realize tunable plasmonic lens, which can be applied as an efficient element in ultrahigh nano-scale integrated photonic circuits for miniaturization and tuning purposes.

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