LIQUID CRYSTAL WAVEGUIDE HAVING REFRACTIVE SHAPES FOR DYNAMICALLY CONTROLLING LIGHT

• US 20080008413A1
• Filed: 07/06/2007
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Analog Devices, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Vescent Photonics Incorporated
• Inventors: Anderson, Michael, Davis, Scott, Rommel, Scott
• Granted Patent: US 8,311,372 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 385/008
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133757 with different alignment orientations
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/295 Analog deflection from or in an optical waveguide structure]

Abstract

Liquid crystal waveguides for dynamically controlling the refraction of light. Generally, liquid crystal materials may be disposed within a waveguide in a cladding proximate or adjacent to a core layer of the waveguide. In one example, portions of the liquid crystal material can be induced to form refractive or lens shapes in the cladding that interact with a portion (e.g. evanescent) of light in the waveguide so as to permit electronic control of the refraction/bending, focusing, or defocusing of light as it travels through the waveguide. In one example, a waveguide may be formed using one or more patterned or shaped electrodes that induce formation of such refractive or lens shapes of liquid crystal material, or alternatively, an alignment layer may have one or more regions that define such refractive or lens shapes to induce formation of refractive or lens shapes of the liquid crystal material. In another example, such refractive or lens shapes of liquid crystal material may be formed by patterning or shaping a cladding to define a region or cavity to contain liquid crystal material in which the liquid crystal materials may interact with the evanescent light.

Claims

1. A waveguide, comprising:

a core for guiding a light beam through the waveguide;

means for controllably refracting the light beam as it travels through the waveguide.

2. The waveguide of claim 1, wherein the means for controllably refracting includes:

at least one cladding having a liquid crystal material therein; and

at least one electrode for receiving at least one voltage, said electrode defines at least one refractive shape;

wherein the light beam is refracted by an amount that is controlled by the at least one voltage.

3. The waveguide of claim 1, wherein the means for controllably refracting includes:

at least one cladding having a liquid crystal material within at least a portion of said cladding wherein at least a portion of the liquid crystal material forms one or more refractive shapes having an index of refraction; and

at least one electrode;

wherein as a voltage is applied to said electrode, the index of refraction of the one or more refractive shapes is altered to controllably refract the light beam as it travels through the waveguide.

4. The waveguide of claim 1, wherein the means for controllably refracting includes:

at least one cladding having a liquid crystal material disposed therein, said cladding having a first region characterized by a first index of refraction and a second region characterized by a second index of refraction; and

at least one electrode;

wherein at least the second index of refraction is controlled by a voltage applied to the electrode.

5. The waveguide of claim 1, wherein the means for controllably refracting includes:

at least one cladding having a liquid crystal material disposed therein, said cladding having at least a first region that includes at least a portion of the liquid crystal material having a first orientation; and

at least one electrode;

wherein the first orientation of the first portion of the liquid crystal material in the at least first region selectively changes from a first state to a second state based on a voltage applied to said electrode.