Grating mediated by three-dimensional director solitons

Within the realm of soft matter, particularly liquid crystals, the ability to leverage material properties to create switchable diffraction gratings holds significant importance in disciplines such as optics and information science. However, designing switchable patterns and compiling information based on output images remain challenging. Here, we introduce an approach to address these limitations by designing switchable gratings mediated by three-dimensional director solitons. We utilize photo-patterning, employing lithography systems with different ultraviolet light, to fabricate the desired patterns. This method allows solitons to nucleate and localize within the regions of the pattern where the anchoring energy is weaker. The periodic structures, alternating between solitons and uniform patterns, exhibit the ability to diffract light beams. By switching the voltage, we can control the generation and localization of solitons within periodic patterns and realize switching between the waveplate and grating. Our experimental findings, complemented by simulation outcomes, validate the feasibility of utilizing three-dimensional solitons in optical applications.