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Two electro-optical phenomena of liquid-crystal blue phase with cubic lattice structure-(1) a fast and reversible shift in reflection band and (2) a phase transition from blue phase to chiral nematic phase-are observed in this study. By increasing the magnitude of a vertical electric field, the reflected wavelength of the blue phase can be shifted to a longer wavelength in a range of 80 nm within a few ms. This reflection band shift is induced by the reorientation of liquid-crystal molecules constructing double twist cylinders, which induces lattice distortion of the blue phase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A photonic switch of 2×3 structure was designed and fabricated using the thermo-optical effect of polymer materials. By setting sectional electrode and exerting voltage to proper section, we can control the reflection region length and ray propagation trace. Input light can be switched freely among three output ports. The experiment results show that, for the “half-reflection” state, the extinction ratio is 16.6 dB for the half-reflection port; and for the “bar” state, the extinction ratio for the reflection port is 26.8 dB. The power consumption is on the scale of 100 mW and varies with different function mode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This letter introduces a three-dimensional manufacturing approach to the rapid processing of microfluidic structures using a scanning laser system. This technique takes advantage of the nonuniform distribution of laser power along its incident axis. The laser processing perpendicular to the specimen surface is realized by fine-tuning focus levels and laser intensity. A large number of microfluidic components such as cantilevered valves, embedded channels, and other shapes requiring gaps between layers are demonstrated in a single layer. With this process, a class of microstructures with designed-in functionalities can be developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]