All-optical, polarization-insensitive light tuning properties in silver nanorod arrays covered with photoresponsive liquid crystals.

Active plasmonics has been an interesting and important topic recently. Here we demonstrate the all-optical, polarization-insensitive tunable manipulation of a hybrid system that integrates a silver nanorod array with photoresponsive liquid crystals. The large-area plasmonic nanorod arrays are fabricated by laser interference lithography and ion milling. By covering a layer of photoresponsive liquid crystals, tunable control of plasmon resonance is achieved under an external light pump. The silver nanorod array also enables the homeotropic alignment of the liquid crystals, which makes the all-optical tuning behavior polarization-insensitive. With its advantages of cost-effective fabrication, easy integration, all-optical control, and polarization-insensitivity, the hybrid system could be valuable in many nanophotonic applications.