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

66 · 5 independent · depth 3

66 granted claims

›1.independentA waveguide for controllably refracting a light beam, comprising:na substantially planar core defining a substantially planar upper surface, the core …+41

›2.↳ 1The waveguide of claim 1, wherein the light beam has an evanescent portion, and wherein the liquid crystal material in the cladding interacts with the…d2

›3.↳ 1The waveguide of claim 1, wherein the at least one cladding includes an upper cladding and a lower cladding, the upper cladding having the liquid crys…d2

›5.↳ 1The waveguide of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the liquid crystal material in said at least one cladding defines at least one refractive shap…d2

›6.↳ 1The waveguide of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the liquid crystal material in said at least one cladding defines a first refractive shape and…d2

›7.↳ 1The waveguide of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the liquid crystal material in said at least one cladding defines at least a first refractive …d2

›8.↳ 1The waveguide of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the liquid crystal material in said at least one cladding defines a lens shape controlled by t…d2

›9.↳ 1The waveguide of claim 1, wherein the core includes a silicon oxynitride material.d2

›10.↳ 1The waveguide of claim 1,wherein the liquid crystal material is a nemetic material.d2

›11.↳ 1The waveguide of claim 1, wherein the voltage is an AC voltage.d2

›12.↳ 1The waveguide of claim 1, wherein the at least one electrode includes a conductive film layer.d2

›13.↳ 1The waveguide of claim 1, wherein the at least one electrode includes a p-doped silicon substrate.d2

›14.↳ 1The waveguide of claim 1, wherein the light beam is a TM polarized light beam and travels through the waveguide along a propagation axis; andnwherein …d2

›15.↳ 1The waveguide of claim 1, wherein the light beam is a TE polarized light beam and travels through the waveguide along a propagation axis; andnwherein …d2

›16.↳ 1The waveguide of claim 1, wherein the light beam is a TM polarized light beam and travels through the waveguide along a propagation axis; andnwherein …d2

›17.↳ 1The waveguide of claim 1, wherein the at least one electrode defines at least one refractive shape.d2

›18.↳ 1The waveguide of claim 1, wherein the voltage includes a first voltage and a second voltage; and wherein the at least one electrode includes a first e…d2+1

›20.↳ 1The waveguide of claim 1, wherein the at least one electrode includes an upper electrode and a lower electrode.d2+5

›26.↳ 1The waveguide of claim 1, wherein the at least one cladding has an upper surface and a lower surface, and wherein the at least one alignment layer is …d2+1

›28.↳ 1The waveguide of claim 1,nwherein the at least one cladding includes an upper cladding and a lower cladding, the upper cladding having the liquid crys…d2+1

›30.↳ 1The waveguide of claim 1,nwherein the at least one cladding includes an upper cladding and a lower cladding, the upper cladding having the liquid crys…d2+1

›32.↳ 1The waveguide of claim 1, wherein the alignment layer has at least a first region biasing said liquid crystal material in a first orientation, and the…d2+5

›38.↳ 1The waveguide of claim 1, wherein the at least one cladding includes a cavity defined therein, said cavity containing the liquid crystal material disp…d2+2

›41.↳ 1The waveguide of claim 1,nwherein the at least one cladding includes an upper cladding and a lower cladding, the upper cladding having an upper surfac…d2+2

›4.independentThe waveguide of claim1, wherein the at least one cladding includes an upper cladding and a lower cladding, the lower cladding having the liquid cryst…

›44.independentA waveguide, comprising:na substantially planar core defining a substantially planar lower surface, the core operable to guide a light beam through th…+6

›45.↳ 44The waveguide of claim 44, wherein the light beam has an evanescent portion, and wherein the liquid crystal material in the at least one cladding inte…d2

›46.↳ 44The waveguide of claim 44, wherein the at least one electrode defines at least one refractive shape.d2

›47.↳ 44The waveguide of claim 44, wherein the at least one voltage includes a first voltage and a second voltage; and wherein the at least one electrode incl…d2+1

›49.↳ 44The waveguide of claim 44, wherein the at least one alignment layer has at least a first region biasing said liquid crystal material in a first orient…d2

›50.↳ 44The waveguide of claim 44, wherein the at least one cladding includes a cavity defined therein, said cavity containing the liquid crystal material dis…d2

›51.independentA waveguide for steering a light beam, comprising:na substantially planar core defining a substantially planar upper surface, the core operable to gui…+7

›52.↳ 51The waveguide of claim 51, wherein the light beam has an evanescent portion, and wherein the liquid crystal material in the at least one cladding inte…d2

›53.↳ 51The waveguide of claim 51, wherein at least a portion of the liquid crystal material in said at least one cladding defines at least one refractive sha…d2

›54.↳ 51The waveguide of claim 51, wherein the at least one electrode defines at least one refractive shape.d2

›55.↳ 51The waveguide of claim 51, wherein the at least one voltage includes a first voltage and a second voltage; and wherein the at least one electrode incl…d2+1

›57.↳ 51The waveguide of claim 51, wherein the at least one alignment layer has at least a first region biasing said liquid crystal material in a first orient…d2

›58.↳ 51The waveguide of claim 51, wherein the at least one cladding includes a cavity defined therein, said cavity containing the liquid crystal material dis…d2

›59.independentA waveguide for refracting a light beam, comprising:na substantially planar core defining a substantially planar upper surface;at least one cladding h…+7

›60.↳ 59The waveguide of claim 59, wherein the light beam has an evanescent portion, and wherein at least a portion of the liquid crystal material in the at l…d2

›61.↳ 59The waveguide of claim 59, wherein at least a portion of the liquid crystal material in said at least one cladding defines at least one refractive sha…d2

›62.↳ 59The waveguide of claim 59, wherein the at least one electrode defines at least one refractive shape.d2

›63.↳ 59The waveguide of claim 59, wherein the voltage includes a first voltage and a second voltage; and wherein the at least one electrode includes a first …d2+1

›65.↳ 59The waveguide of claim 59, wherein the at least one alignment layer has at least a first region biasing said liquid crystal material in a first orient…d2

›66.↳ 59The waveguide of claim 59, wherein the at least one cladding includes a cavity defined therein, said cavity containing the liquid crystal material dis…d2

Classifications

5 codes

IPC · International Patent Classification

Section G — Physics

G02F1/1335
G02B6/42
G02B6/26

USPC · US Patent Classification

385/22349/17

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22 Jan 2004

earliest claimed

›Priority documents — 2

Type	Document	Date
provisional	US 60539030 00	22 Jan 2004
related publication	US 20050271325 A1	8 Dec 2005

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