Tunable Hybrid Tamm-microcavity states

TL;DR

This paper investigates hybrid Tamm-microcavity modes in a 1D photonic crystal with a liquid crystal layer, demonstrating tunability via temperature and electric field, with significant spectral changes at phase transition points.

Contribution

It introduces a numerical study of tunable hybrid Tamm-microcavity modes in a photonic crystal structure incorporating a nematic liquid crystal layer.

Findings

Hybrid modes are effectively tunable by temperature and electric field.

Significant spectral shifts occur at the liquid crystal phase transition.

Refractive index jump at phase transition influences transmission spectra.

Abstract

Spectral manifestations of hybrid Tamm-microcavity modes in a 1D photonic crystal bounded with a silver layer and containing a nematic liquid crystal layer working as a microcavity have been studied using numerical simulation. It is demonstrated that the hybrid modes can be effectively tuned owing to the high sensitivity of the liquid crystal to the temperature and external electric field variations. It is established that the effect of temperature on the transmission spectrum of the investigated structure is most pronounced at the point of the phase transition of the liquid crystal to the isotropic state, where the refractive index jump is observed.