Electrically programmable chiral MEMS photonics

Abstract

Optical chirality is central to many industrial photonic technologies including enantiomer identification, ellipsometry-based tomography and spin multiplexing in optical communication. However, a substantial chiral response requires a typical three-dimensional (3D) constituent, thereby making the paradigm highly complex. Photonic devices integrated with microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) have shown potential for chiral light control by external stimuli, but the stimuli usually demand a destructive dosage. Here, we report a simple synthetic chiral paradigm that is electrically programmable with self-assembled 3D MEMS cantilevers. This paradigm enables four reconfigurable chiral schemes with dextrorotary, levorotary, racemic and achiral conformations. Optical response of reversible chirality and chiral to achiral switch are electrically encoded following an exclusive OR logical operation with dual-channel bias as low as 10 V. Our device demonstrates a route to electrically actuated synthetic chiral platform and serves as a powerful conformation analysis tool for macromolecules in biology, medicine, chemistry and physics. The prototype delivers a new strategy towards reconfigurable stereoselective photonic applications.