In-Line Tunable Nematic Liquid Crystal Fiber Optic Device

This paper has been focused on design, fabrication, and characterization of a new in-line tunable nematic liquid crystal fiber optic device. The application of a biconical optical fiber taper as a core surrounded by liquid crystals' molecules as cladding gives the possibility to voltage control of spectral characteristics including system losses and its polarization in an optical visible wavelength range from 500 to 700 nm. The device is based on a standard single mode telecommunication fiber and a special, nematic liquid crystalline mixture of a 1550C1 type. The temperature and time course of liquid crystal mixture investigation of the proposed element are also included in the paper.