Multi-Band Thermal Optical Switch Based on Nematic Liquid Crystal Filled Photonic Crystal Fiber

By filling the liquid crystal (LC) in the air holes of a photonic crystal fiber (PCF) with 8 mm length, a compact multi-band thermal optical switch is proposed here including two important telecommunication band, i.e., 1265 to 1317 nm and 1508 to 1568 nm. Within the bandwidth, the extinction ratio can be as high as 30 dB. Under the combined action of the bandgap-guiding mechanism and the interference effect, a temperature change of only 1C after clearing temperature (Tc) of the LC induces multi-band thermal optical switch of the LC-filled PCF. It is also noted that the transmission spectrum of the LC-filled PCF is quite sensitive to the ambient temperature. The consequent thermal sensitive is 3.9nm/C, making it a very good candidate for monitoring the temperature herein.