A review of tunable photonics: Optically active materials and applications from visible to terahertz

Switchable and conspicuous retroreflective sensors inspired by the wing scale of an emerald swallowtail

Butterfly wings possess distinct micro/nanostructures that contribute to their vibrant coloration, light-trapping capabilities, and sensitivity to various stimuli. These complex features have inspired the creation of diverse devices and systems, such as sensors, photovoltaics, photocatalysis, and robotics. Specifically, the wing scales of the Emerald Swallowtail (Papilio palinurus) display iridescent, polarization-sensitive, and retroreflective colors due to their hierarchical structures. However, current technologies fail to mimic these natural designs fully, limiting their practical application in everyday life. In this study, we introduce a groundbreaking method for fabricating artificial wing scales that emulate the biological structure's functionality with a much simpler geometry. By integrating self-graded lossy media into metallic micro-concavity arrays, we achieve pronounced iridescent effects in both coaxial and non-coaxial arrangements, while preserving retroreflective properties. In particular, the simplified design allows for switchable color patterns based on the viewing angle. Demonstrating the concept, we successfully employ these conspicuous retroreflectors in hydrogen gas detection and the bi-directional/switchable recognition of patterned signals.

Optical Actuation of Nanoparticle-Loaded Liquid-Liquid Interfaces for Active Photonics

Liquid-liquid interfaces hold the potential to serve as versatile platforms for dynamic processes, due to their inherent fluidity and capacity to accommodate surface-active materials. This study explores laser-driven actuation of liquid-liquid interfaces with and without loading of gold nanoparticles and further exploits the laser-actuated interfaces with nanoparticles for tunable photonics. Upon laser exposure, gold nanoparticles were rearranged along the interface, enabling the reconfigurable, small-aperture modulation of light transmission and the tunable lensing effect. Adapting the principles of optical and optothermal tweezers, we interpreted the underlying mechanisms of actuation and modulation as a synergy of optomechanical and optothermal effects. Our findings provide an analytical framework for understanding microscopic interfacial behaviors, contributing to potential applications in tunable photonics and interfacial material engineering.

Omnidirectional color wavelength tuning of stretchable chiral liquid crystal elastomers

Wavelength-tunable structural colors using stimuli-responsive materials, such as chiral liquid crystals (CLCs), have attracted increasing attention owing to their high functionality in various tunable photonic applications. Ideally, on-demand omnidirectional wavelength control is highly desirable from the perspective of wavelength-tuning freedom. However, despite numerous previous research efforts on tunable CLC structural colors, only mono-directional wavelength tuning toward shorter wavelengths has been employed in most studies to date. In this study, we report the ideally desired omnidirectional wavelength control toward longer and shorter wavelengths with significantly improved tunability over a broadband wavelength range. By using areal expanding and contractive strain control of dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) with chiral liquid crystal elastomers (CLCEs), simultaneous and omnidirectional structural color-tuning control was achieved. This breakthrough in omnidirectional wavelength control enhances the achievable tuning freedom and versatility, making it applicable to a broad range of high-functional photonic applications.

Electro-optic tuning in composite silicon photonics based on ferroionic 2D materials

Tunable optical materials are indispensable elements in modern optoelectronics, especially in integrated photonics circuits where precise control over the effective refractive index is essential for diverse applications. Two-dimensional materials like transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) and graphene exhibit remarkable optical responses to external stimuli. However, achieving distinctive modulation across short-wave infrared (SWIR) regions while enabling precise phase control at low signal loss within a compact footprint remains an ongoing challenge. In this work, we unveil the robust electro-refractive response of multilayer ferroionic two-dimensional CuCrP2S6 (CCPS) in the near-infrared wavelength range. By integrating CCPS into silicon photonics (SiPh) microring resonators (MRR), we enhance light-matter interaction and measurement sensitivity to minute phase and absorption variations. Results show that electrically driven Cu ions can tune the effective refractive index on the order of 2.8 × 10-3 RIU (refractive index unit) while preserving extinction ratios and resonance linewidth. Notably, these devices exhibit low optical losses and excellent modulation efficiency of 0.25 V.cm with a consistent blue shift in the resonance wavelengths among all devices for either polarity of the applied voltage. These results outperform earlier findings on phase shifters based on TMDs. Furthermore, our study demonstrates distinct variations in electro-optic tuning sensitivity when comparing transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) modes, revealing a polarization-dependent response that paves the way for diverse applications in light manipulation. The combined optoelectronic and ionotronic capabilities of two-terminal CCPS devices present extensive opportunities across several domains. Their potential applications range from phased arrays and optical switching to their use in environmental sensing and metrology, optical imaging systems, and neuromorphic systems in light-sensitive artificial synapses.

Sub-1-Volt Electrically Programmable Optical Modulator Based on Active Tamm Plasmon

Reconfigurable optical devices hold great promise for advancing high-density optical interconnects, photonic switching, and memory applications. While many optical modulators based on active materials have been demonstrated, it is challenging to achieve a high modulation depth with a low operation voltage in the near-infrared (NIR) range, which is a highly sought-after wavelength window for free-space communication and imaging applications. Here, electrically switchable Tamm plasmon coupled with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) is introduced. The device allows for a high modulation depth across the entire NIR range by fully absorbing incident light even under epsilon near zero conditions. Optical modulation exceeding 88% is achieved using a CMOS-compatible voltage of ±1 V. This modulation is facilitated by precise electrical control of the charge carrier density through an electrochemical doping/dedoping process. Additionally, the potential applications of the device are extended for a non-volatile multi-memory state optical device, capable of rewritable optical memory storage and exhibiting long-term potentiation/depression properties with neuromorphic behavior.

Programmable directional color dynamics using plasmonics

Adaptive multicolor filters have emerged as key components for ensuring color accuracy and resolution in outdoor visual devices. However, the current state of this technology is still in its infancy and largely reliant on liquid crystal devices that require high voltage and bulky structural designs. Here, we present a multicolor nanofilter consisting of multilayered 'active' plasmonic nanocomposites, wherein metallic nanoparticles are embedded within a conductive polymer nanofilm. These nanocomposites are fabricated with a total thickness below 100 nm using a 'lithography-free' method at the wafer level, and they inherently exhibit three prominent optical modes, accompanying scattering phenomena that produce distinct dichroic reflection and transmission colors. Here, a pivotal achievement is that all these colors are electrically manipulated with an applied external voltage of less than 1 V with 3.5 s of switching speed, encompassing the entire visible spectrum. Furthermore, this electrically programmable multicolor function enables the effective and dynamic modulation of the color temperature of white light across the warm-to-cool spectrum (3250 K-6250 K). This transformative capability is exceptionally valuable for enhancing the performance of outdoor optical devices that are independent of factors such as the sun's elevation and prevailing weather conditions.

Laser Dynamic Control of the Thermal Emissivity of a Planar Cavity Structure Based on a Phase-Change Material

Tailoring the thermal emission of a material in the long-wave infrared (IR) range of 8-13 μm is crucial for many IR-adaptive applications, including personal thermal management, IR camouflage, and radiative cooling. Although various materials and surface structures have been proposed for these purposes, space-selective and dynamic control of their emissivity is challenging. In this study, we present a planar surface cavity structure consisting of a Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) film on top of a thin metal reflector to modulate its emissivity by using an ultraviolet laser beam. A laser-induced phase change in GST allowed for the local control of emissivity. The average emissivity in the long-wave IR range was tunable from 0.15 to 0.77 simply by changing the laser energy deposited on the GST film. This enabled the laser printing of high-contrast emissivity patterns, which were erasable by subsequent thermal annealing. Emissivity-modulated GST cavities could be fabricated on not only rigid substrates but also flexible plastic substrates such as polyimide. The GST surface cavity was highly flexible and remained stable upon repeated bending to a curvature radius of 0.5 cm. This study provides a promising route for realizing scalable and flexible thermal emitters with tunable surface emissivity.

Octopus-inspired deception and signaling systems from an exceptionally-stable acene variant

Multifunctional platforms that can dynamically modulate their color and appearance have attracted attention for applications as varied as displays, signaling, camouflage, anti-counterfeiting, sensing, biomedical imaging, energy conservation, and robotics. Within this context, the development of camouflage systems with tunable spectroscopic and fluorescent properties that span the ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared spectral regions has remained exceedingly challenging because of frequently competing materials and device design requirements. Herein, we draw inspiration from the unique blue rings of the Hapalochlaena lunulata octopus for the development of deception and signaling systems that resolve these critical challenges. As the active material, our actuator-type systems incorporate a readily-prepared and easily-processable nonacene-like molecule with an ambient-atmosphere stability that exceeds the state-of-the-art for comparable acenes by orders of magnitude. Devices from this active material feature a powerful and unique combination of advantages, including straightforward benchtop fabrication, competitive baseline performance metrics, robustness during cycling with the capacity for autonomous self-repair, and multiple dynamic multispectral operating modes. When considered together, the described exciting discoveries point to new scientific and technological opportunities in the areas of functional organic materials, reconfigurable soft actuators, and adaptive photonic systems.

Roadmap for phase change materials in photonics and beyond

Phase Change Materials (PCMs) have demonstrated tremendous potential as a platform for achieving diverse functionalities in active and reconfigurable micro-nanophotonic devices across the electromagnetic spectrum, ranging from terahertz to visible frequencies. This comprehensive roadmap reviews the material and device aspects of PCMs, and their diverse applications in active and reconfigurable micro-nanophotonic devices across the electromagnetic spectrum. It discusses various device configurations and optimization techniques, including deep learning-based metasurface design. The integration of PCMs with Photonic Integrated Circuits and advanced electric-driven PCMs are explored. PCMs hold great promise for multifunctional device development, including applications in non-volatile memory, optical data storage, photonics, energy harvesting, biomedical technology, neuromorphic computing, thermal management, and flexible electronics.

Mechanically-Guided 3D Assembly for Architected Flexible Electronics

Architected flexible electronic devices with rationally designed 3D geometries have found essential applications in biology, medicine, therapeutics, sensing/imaging, energy, robotics, and daily healthcare. Mechanically-guided 3D assembly methods, exploiting mechanics principles of materials and structures to transform planar electronic devices fabricated using mature semiconductor techniques into 3D architected ones, are promising routes to such architected flexible electronic devices. Here, we comprehensively review mechanically-guided 3D assembly methods for architected flexible electronics. Mainstream methods of mechanically-guided 3D assembly are classified and discussed on the basis of their fundamental deformation modes (i.e., rolling, folding, curving, and buckling). Diverse 3D interconnects and device forms are then summarized, which correspond to the two key components of an architected flexible electronic device. Afterward, structure-induced functionalities are highlighted to provide guidelines for function-driven structural designs of flexible electronics, followed by a collective summary of their resulting applications. Finally, conclusions and outlooks are given, covering routes to achieve extreme deformations and dimensions, inverse design methods, and encapsulation strategies of architected 3D flexible electronics, as well as perspectives on future applications.

High Q-factor reconfigurable microresonators induced in side-coupled optical fibres

High Q-factor monolithic optical microresonators found numerous applications in classical and quantum optical signal processing, microwave photonics, ultraprecise sensing, as well as fundamental optical and physical sciences. However, due to the solid structure of these microresonators, attaining the free spectral range tunability of most of them, critical for several of these applications, was, so far, unfeasible. To address this problem, here we experimentally demonstrate that the side-coupling of coplanar bent optical fibres can induce a high Q-factor whispering gallery mode optical microresonator. By changing the curvature radius of fibres from the centimetre order to the millimetre order, we demonstrate fully mechanically reconfigurable optical microresonators with dimensions varying from the millimetre order to 100-micron order and free spectral range varying from a picometre to ten picometre order. The developed theory describes the formation of the discovered microresonators and their major properties in a reasonable agreement with the experimental data. The new microresonators may find applications in cavity QED, microresonator optomechanics, frequency comb generation with tuneable repetition rate, tuneable lasing, and tuneable processing and delay of optical pulses.

Tunable metalensing based on plasmonic resonators embedded on thermosresponsive hydrogel

Metalenses of adjustable power and ultrathin flat zoom lens system have emerged as a promising and key photonic device for integrated optics and advanced reconfigurable optical systems. Nevertheless, realizing an active metasurface retaining lensing functionality in the visible frequency regime has not been fully explored to design reconfigurable optical devices. Here, we present a focal tunable metalens and intensity tunable metalens in the visible frequency regime through the control of the hydrophilic and hydrophobic behavior of freestanding thermoresponsive hydrogel. The metasurface is comprised of plasmonic resonators embedded on the top of hydrogel which serves as dynamically reconfigurable metalens. It is shown that the focal length can be continuously tuned by adjusting the phase transition of hydrogel, the results reveal that the device is diffraction limited in different states of hydrogel. In addition, the versatility of hydrogel-based metasurfaces is further explored to design intensity tunable metalens, that can dynamically tailor the transmission intensity and confined it into the same focal spot under different states, i.e., swollen and collapsed. It is anticipated that the non-toxicity and biocompatibility make the hydrogel-based active metasurfaces suitable for active plasmonic devices with ubiquitous roles in biomedical imaging, sensing, and encryption systems.

Graphene-based Pancharatnam-Berry phase metasurface in the terahertz domain for dynamically independent amplitude and phase manipulation

Dynamic and independent amplitude and phase manipulation are the paramount demand for many advanced wavefronts engineering applications. Currently, the coupling issue between the amplitude and phase hinders the efficient modulation wavefront's further implementation. This paper proposes and numerically demonstrates the bi-layer stacked graphene Pancharatnam-Berry (P-B) phase metasurface and mono-layer graphene P-B phase metasurface to address the above problem. The simulation results show that the proposed models can achieve the independent control amplitude and phase and significantly reduce their coupling strength. Our findings offer a flexible and straightforward method for precise wave reconstruction applications such as holography, optical tweezers, and high-resolution imaging.

Polarization-driven thermal emission regulator based on self-aligned GST nanocolumns

The increasing advances in thermal radiation regulators have attracted growing interest, particularly in infrared sources, thermal management, and camouflage. Despite many advances in dynamic thermal emitters with great controllability, sustained external energy is required to maintain the desired emission. In this study, we present a polarization-driven thermal emission regulator based on a two-way control: i) phase change and ii) polarization tuning. Based on a conventional, non-volatile phase change material, i.e., Ge₂Sb₂Te₅ (GST), we newly introduce an anisotropic medium for facile emissivity regulation without heat energy consumption. A rigorous coupled-wave analysis method provides design guidelines for finding optimal structural parameters. We utilized a simple glancing angle deposition process which induces tilted self-aligned nanocolumns with anisotropic properties. The fabricated sample shows polarization-sensitive thermal regulation through thermal imaging spectroscopic measurement. Additionally, we manufactured a multispectral visibly/thermally camouflaged patch that identifies encrypted information at a specific polarization state for a proof-of-concept demonstration.