Laser-written liquid crystal devices for non-mechanical beam steering

We present a platform for manufacturing tuneable and switchable optical elements with very simple drive electronics. Two-photon polymerization direct laser writing is used to structure the director profile of a polymerizable liquid crystal in 3-dimensions to form a blazed grating. As the non-laser written regions of the LC remain electrically switchable, the overall device can be electrically tuned. Here we demonstrate a blazed grating that can be electrically tuned to selectively steer an incident beam into 3 different orders with a high (⪆ 70%) diffraction efficiency. We further demonstrate its tunability over the 490nm to 780nm wavelength range. Finally, we discuss the scalability of these devices for both extended and additional functionality.