Electrically controlled liquid crystal plasmonic metamaterials

We experimentally demonstrate efficient electrical modulation and control of the near-IR response of plasmonic metamaterials loaded with liquid crystals (LC) by exploiting micro-scale volume and (for the first time) nano-scale in-plane LC-switching modes. We also show that in the resulting hybrid optical cell the metamaterial nano-structure can replace all three essential components of an LC device: (i) LC-alignment layer; (ii) transparent electrode and (iii) polarizer; making the hybrid cell more compact than the conventional LC devices and easy to integrate into plasmonic and nano-photonic circuits. The relative ease of on-demand engineering resonant bands (i.e. colours) and tailoring reflection/refraction phenomena in metamaterials is particularly appealing for application in high-resolution and emerging display technologies including near-to-eye and virtual retina displays, holographic and 3D imaging.