Passively Tunable Terahertz Filters Using Liquid Crystal Cells Coated with Metamaterials
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coatings Article Passively Tunable Terahertz Filters Using Liquid Crystal Cells Coated with Metamaterials Wei-Fan Chiang 1, Yu-Yun Lu 2, Yin-Pei Chen 2, Xin-Yu Lin 2, Tsong-Shin Lim 2, Jih-Hsin Liu 3, Chia-Rong Lee 1,* and Chia-Yi Huang 2,* 1 Department of Photonics, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan; [email protected] 2 Department of Applied Physics, Tunghai University, Taichung 40704, Taiwan; [email protected] (Y.-Y.L.); [email protected] (Y.-P.C.); [email protected] (X.-Y.L.); [email protected] (T.-S.L.) 3 Department of Electrical Engineering, Tunghai University, Taichung 40704, Taiwan; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] (C.-R.L.); [email protected] (C.-Y.H.) Abstract: Liquid crystal (LC) cells that are coated with metamaterials are fabricated in this work. The LC directors in the cells are aligned by rubbed polyimide layers, and make angles q of 0◦, 45◦, and 90◦ with respect to the gaps of the split-ring resonators (SRRs) of the metamaterials. Experimental results display that the resonance frequencies of the metamaterials in these cells increase with an increase in q, and the cells have a maximum frequency shifting region of 18 GHz. Simulated results reveal that the increase in the resonance frequencies arises from the birefringence of the LC, and the LC has a birefringence of 0.15 in the terahertz region. The resonance frequencies of the metamaterials are shifted by the rubbing directions of the polyimide layers, so the LC cells coated with the metamaterials are passively tunable terahertz filters. The passively tunable terahertz filters exhibit promising applications on terahertz communication, terahertz sensing, and terahertz imaging. Citation: Chiang, W.-F.; Lu, Y.-Y.; Chen, Y.-P.; Lin, X.-Y.; Lim, T.-S.; Liu, Keywords: liquid crystals; metamaterials; terahertz filters J.-H.; Lee, C.-R.; Huang, C.-Y. Passively Tunable Terahertz Filters Using Liquid Crystal Cells Coated with Metamaterials. Coatings 2021, 11, 1. Introduction 381. https://doi.org/10.3390/ Metamaterials have attracted much attention due to their unusual electromagnetic res- coatings11040381 onance [1–7]. The resonance frequencies of metamaterials are sensitive to their geometrical structures [1–3] and the refractive indices of the media that surround the metamateri- Academic Editor: You Seung Rim als [4–7]. Therefore, metamaterials can be used to develop frequency filters, intensity modulators, and sensors. Liquid crystals (LCs) have been used to tune the resonance Received: 2 March 2021 frequencies of terahertz metamaterials due to their large birefringences [6,7]. Chen et al. Accepted: 25 March 2021 deposited a dual frequency LC layer on a terahertz metamaterial [6]. The resonance spec- Published: 26 March 2021 trum of the terahertz metamaterial can be red-shifted and blue-shifted by switching the frequency of a given voltage because the dual frequency LC exhibits positive and neg- Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral ative dielectric anisotropies at low and high frequencies. Therefore, the dual frequency with regard to jurisdictional claims in LC layer that is deposited on the terahertz metamaterial can be used to develop electri- published maps and institutional affil- cally controllable terahertz filters. Deng et al. deposited an LC layer between a terahertz iations. metamaterial and a metal layer [7]. The resonance frequency of the terahertz metamate- rial is red-shifted by 11.4 (12.6) GHz at the irradiation of terahertz waves with TE (TM) polarization as a voltage that is applied to the LC layer increases from zero to 10 V. There- fore, the metamaterial-imbedded LC cell can be used to develop electrically controllable Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. terahertz absorbers. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. The application of the large voltages to the LC layers causes the shift of the resonance This article is an open access article spectra of the metamaterials in the previous works [6,7]. The electrically controllable tera- distributed under the terms and hertz devices in these works consume a lot of power to filter incident terahertz waves. This conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// drawback hinders the usage of the terahertz devices in practical applications. It is of great creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ interest to researchers to develop LC-based metamaterials with zero power consumption. 4.0/). Coatings 2021, 11, 381. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings11040381 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/coatings Coatings 2021, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 8 great interest to researchers to develop LC-based metamaterials with zero power con- Coatings 2021, 11, 381 2 of 8 sumption. This work fabricates LC cells coated with terahertz metamaterials, and studies the effect of the rubbing directions of the alignment layers of the cells on the electromagnetic resonanceThiswork of the fabricates metamaterials. LC cells The coated resonanc withe frequencies terahertz metamaterials, of the terahertz and metamaterials studies the effectincrease of thewith rubbing an increase directions in the ofangles the alignment between the layers directors of the of cells the onLC the and electromagnetic the gaps of the resonanceSRRs. A finite-difference of the metamaterials. time-domain The resonance simulation frequencies depicts ofthat the the terahertz increase metamaterials in the reso- increasenance frequencies with an increase arises from in the the angles birefringenc betweene theof the directors LC, and of the LC andhas a the birefringence gaps of the SRRs.of 0.15 A in finite-difference the terahertz region. time-domain The LC simulation cells coated depicts with thatthe theterahertz increase metamaterials in the resonance are frequenciespassively tunable arises filters from with the birefringence zero power consumption, of the LC, and and the can LC be has used a birefringencein terahertz im- of 0.15aging, in terahertz the terahertz sensing region. and terahertz The LC cellscommunication. coated with the terahertz metamaterials are passively tunable filters with zero power consumption, and can be used in terahertz imaging,2. Materials terahertz and Methods sensing and terahertz communication. 2. MaterialsFigure 1a and presents Methods the schematic configuration of LC cells that are coated with te- rahertz metamaterials. Each of the LC cells are fabricated using two 188-μm-thick polyes- Figure1a presents the schematic configuration of LC cells that are coated with terahertz ter (PET) substrates, which are separated by two plastic spacers with a thickness of 500 metamaterials. Each of the LC cells are fabricated using two 188-µm-thick polyester (PET) μm. A 200-nm-thick silver SRR array is coated on one of the PET substrates by photoli- substrates, which are separated by two plastic spacers with a thickness of 500 µm. A thography, metal evaporation, and lift-off process. Figure 1b presents the dimensions of 200-nm-thick silver SRR array is coated on one of the PET substrates by photolithography, one of the SRRs in the array. The SRR has a linewidth (w), split gap (g), short side (s), long metal evaporation, and lift-off process. Figure1b presents the dimensions of one of the side (l), period in the x direction, and period in the y direction of 6 μm, 20 μm, 50 μm, 60 SRRs in the array. The SRR has a linewidth (w), split gap (g), short side (s), long side (l), periodμm, 70 inμm, the andx direction, 80 μm, respectively. and period in Six-hundred-nanometer-thick the y direction of 6 µm, 20 µm, polyimide 50 µm, 60 µ (PI)m, 70layersµm, and(AL-1426CA, 80 µm, respectively. Daily Polymer) Six-hundred-nanometer-thick are coated on both PET substrates polyimide as homogenously (PI) layers (AL-1426CA, aligning Dailylayers Polymer)and are rubbed are coated using on a both rubbing PET substratesmachine. The as homogenously directors in the aligning LC cells layers thatand are ° ° ° arecoated rubbed with using the terahertz a rubbing metamaterials machine. The make directors angles in theθ of LC 0 , cells 45 , thatand are90 coatedwith respect with the to terahertzthe gaps of metamaterials the SRRs of the make metamaterials. angles q of A 0◦ nematic, 45◦, and LC 90 (HTW114200-100,◦ with respect to Fusol the gaps Material) of the SRRsis used of in the the metamaterials. cells. The nematic A nematic LC has LC been (HTW114200-100, used to develop Fusol high-performance Material) is used optical in the cells.devices The [8,9]. nematic However, LC has the beenLC has used not to been develop used high-performanceto develop terahertz optical devices. devices Therefore, [8,9]. However,the LC is used the LC in this has notwork. been The used LC layers to develop with terahertza thickness devices. of 500 Therefore,μm are so thick the LC that is usedterahertz in this waves work. experience The LC layerstheir refractive with a thickness indices significantly of 500 µm are [10,11]. so thick The that LC terahertzhas ordi- wavesnary and experience extraordinary their refractiverefractive indicesindices significantlyof 1.513 and [101.779,,11]. respectively, The LC has ordinaryin the visible and extraordinarylight regime. refractive indices of 1.513 and 1.779, respectively, in the visible light regime. Figure 1. (a) Schematic configuration of liquid crystal (LC) cells that are coated with terahertz metamaterials. q is an angle Figure 1. (a) Schematic configuration of liquid crystal (LC) cells that are coated with terahertz metamaterials. θ is an angle betweenbetween thethe directordirector ofof thethe LCLC andand thethe gapsgaps ofof thethe split-ringsplit-ring resonatorsresonators (SRRs).(SRRs). ((bb)) DimensionsDimensions ofof SRR.SRR. 3. Results and Discussion 3. Results and Discussion Figure2 displays the experimental terahertz spectra of three metamaterials that are Figure 2 displays the experimental terahertz spectra of three metamaterials that are coated with the PI layers. These spectra are obtained using a commercial terahertz spec- coated with the PI layers.