Electro-optic spatial light modulator from an engineered organic layer

Spatial light modulators (SLM) provide tailored light fields for many applications. Here, the authors present an SLM device based on an organic electro-optic material that manipulates the properties of individual pixels by electronic signals at speeds up to 50 MHz. Tailored nanostructures provide at-will control over the properties of light, with applications in imaging and spectroscopy. Active photonics can further open new avenues in remote monitoring, virtual or augmented reality and time-resolved sensing. Nanomaterials with chi((2)) nonlinearities achieve highest switching speeds. Current demonstrations typically require a trade-off: they either rely on traditional chi((2)) materials, which have low non-linearities, or on application-specific quantum well heterostructures that exhibit a high chi((2)) in a narrow band. Here, we show that a thin film of organic electro-optic molecules JRD1 in polymethylmethacrylate combines desired merits for active free-space optics: broadband record-high nonlinearity (10-100 times higher than traditional materials at wavelengths 1100-1600 nm), a custom-tailored nonlinear tensor at the nanoscale, and engineered optical and electronic responses. We demonstrate a tuning of optical resonances by Delta lambda = 11 nm at DC voltages and a modulation of the transmitted intensity up to 40%, at speeds up to 50 MHz. We realize 2 x 2 single- and 1 x 5 multi-color spatial light modulators. We demonstrate their potential for imaging and remote sensing. The compatibility with compact laser diodes, the achieved millimeter size and the low power consumption are further key features for laser ranging or reconfigurable optics.

Automated summary

Researchers have developed an SLM device based on organic electro-optic materials that can manipulate individual pixel properties at speeds up to 50 MHz, offering potential applications in imaging and spectroscopy. These materials exhibit high nonlinearity, custom-tailored nonlinear tensors at the nanoscale, and have broad applications in active free-space optics, such as remote monitoring and virtual or augmented reality. The compatibility with compact laser diodes, achieved millimeter size, and low power consumption make them suitable for laser ranging and reconfigurable optics.