Optical phase modulation using a hybrid carbon nanotube-liquid-crystal nanophotonic device

The carbon nanotube-liquid-crystal (CNT-LC) nanophotonic device is a class of device based on the hybrid combination of a sparse at-ray of multiwall carbon nanotube electrodes grown on a silicon surface in a liquid-crystal cell. The multiwall carbon nanotubes act as individual electrode sites that spawn an electric-field profile, dictating the refractive index profile within the liquid crystal and hence creating a series of graded index profiles, which form various optical elements such as a simple microlens array. We present the refractive index and therefore phase modulation capabilities of a CNT-LC nanophotonic device with experimental results as well as computer modeling and potential applications. (C) 2009 Optical Society of America