Plasmonic nanohole electrodes for active color tunable liquid crystal transmissive pixels

Plasmonic pixels have been shown to offer numerous advantages over pigment-based color filters used in modern commercial liquid crystal (LC) displays. However, wideband dynamic tunability across the visible spectrum remains challenging. We experimentally demonstrate transmissive electrically tunable LC-nanohole pixels operating across the visible spectrum with unpolarized input light. An ultrathin Al nanohole electrode is designed to exhibit a polarized spectral response based on surface plasmon resonances. An output analyzer in combination with a nematic LC layer enables pixel color to be electronically controlled through an applied voltage across the device. Where LC re-orientation leads to tunable mixing of the relative contributions from the plasmonic color input. The nano-structured Al layer, acting as combined electrode, polarizer and functional color filter, is highly promising for electro-optic display applications.David and Susan Hibbitt Scholarship Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC): Integrated Photonic and Electronic Systems (EP/L015455/1