Applied Nanophotonics, Liquid Crystals and Biomedical Optics

A method and system for imaging objects based on sensing their dielectric permittivity at low frequencies of few kHz are presented. The system is composed of three regions: Liquid Crystal (LC) layer, buffer layer and a cavity in which the analyzed samples are inserted. When a voltage is applied, it falls partially on the LC causing its molecules to tilt. The amount and distribution of the voltage depend on the dielectric permittivity of the analyzed samples. The permittivity distribution is imaged by reading the retardation changes in the LC with visible light in reflection and transmission modes. The resolution limit of the system is predicted theoretically using rigorous simulation showing possible resolution down to few tens of microns.