Liquid Crystal-Tuned Planar Optics in Terahertz Range
Recently, terahertz waves of higher frequencies compared to microwave and radio frequency have shown great potential in radar detection and high-speed wireless communication. To spatially control the wavefront of terahertz beams, various novel components, such as terahertz filters, polarization conv...
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MDPI AG
2023-01-01
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Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/3/1428 |
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author | Hongguan Yu Huacai Wang Qiguang Wang Shijun Ge Wei Hu |
author_facet | Hongguan Yu Huacai Wang Qiguang Wang Shijun Ge Wei Hu |
author_sort | Hongguan Yu |
collection | DOAJ |
description | Recently, terahertz waves of higher frequencies compared to microwave and radio frequency have shown great potential in radar detection and high-speed wireless communication. To spatially control the wavefront of terahertz beams, various novel components, such as terahertz filters, polarization converters and lenses, have been investigated. Metamaterials and metasurfaces have become the most promising technique for the free manipulation of terahertz waves. Metadevices integrated with liquid crystals have been widely used in active terahertz devices. In this review, the birefringence of liquid crystals in the terahertz band and terahertz devices based on liquid crystals are summarized. By integrating liquid crystals with plasmonic metamaterials, the functions become dynamically adjustable and are reconstructed. Utilizing liquid crystals to change the resonance of metamaterials, tunable filters, absorbers, and programmable metasurfaces are realized. To solve the problem of low efficiency, terahertz wavefront shaping devices based on dielectric metasurfaces and liquid crystals, such as a variable deflection angle grating and zoom metalenses, are presented. Finally, we discuss and anticipate the future developments of liquid-crystal-integrated meta-devices, which will inspire broad applications in terahertz communication and imaging. |
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format | Article |
id | doaj.art-1ca5466642c64fd996db064788029504 |
institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
issn | 2076-3417 |
language | English |
last_indexed | 2024-03-11T09:52:46Z |
publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
publisher | MDPI AG |
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spelling | doaj.art-1ca5466642c64fd996db0647880295042023-11-16T16:05:21ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172023-01-01133142810.3390/app13031428Liquid Crystal-Tuned Planar Optics in Terahertz RangeHongguan Yu0Huacai Wang1Qiguang Wang2Shijun Ge3Wei Hu4Key Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaKey Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaKey Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaKey Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaKey Laboratory of Intelligent Optical Sensing and Manipulation, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210023, ChinaRecently, terahertz waves of higher frequencies compared to microwave and radio frequency have shown great potential in radar detection and high-speed wireless communication. To spatially control the wavefront of terahertz beams, various novel components, such as terahertz filters, polarization converters and lenses, have been investigated. Metamaterials and metasurfaces have become the most promising technique for the free manipulation of terahertz waves. Metadevices integrated with liquid crystals have been widely used in active terahertz devices. In this review, the birefringence of liquid crystals in the terahertz band and terahertz devices based on liquid crystals are summarized. By integrating liquid crystals with plasmonic metamaterials, the functions become dynamically adjustable and are reconstructed. Utilizing liquid crystals to change the resonance of metamaterials, tunable filters, absorbers, and programmable metasurfaces are realized. To solve the problem of low efficiency, terahertz wavefront shaping devices based on dielectric metasurfaces and liquid crystals, such as a variable deflection angle grating and zoom metalenses, are presented. Finally, we discuss and anticipate the future developments of liquid-crystal-integrated meta-devices, which will inspire broad applications in terahertz communication and imaging.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/3/1428liquid crystalmetamaterialtunableterahertz |
spellingShingle | Hongguan Yu Huacai Wang Qiguang Wang Shijun Ge Wei Hu Liquid Crystal-Tuned Planar Optics in Terahertz Range Applied Sciences liquid crystal metamaterial tunable terahertz |
title | Liquid Crystal-Tuned Planar Optics in Terahertz Range |
title_full | Liquid Crystal-Tuned Planar Optics in Terahertz Range |
title_fullStr | Liquid Crystal-Tuned Planar Optics in Terahertz Range |
title_full_unstemmed | Liquid Crystal-Tuned Planar Optics in Terahertz Range |
title_short | Liquid Crystal-Tuned Planar Optics in Terahertz Range |
title_sort | liquid crystal tuned planar optics in terahertz range |
topic | liquid crystal metamaterial tunable terahertz |
url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/3/1428 |
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