Abstract

We present a novel optical switch that consists of a 1D array of plasmonic (Au) nanowires present on a vanadium dioxide (${\mathrm{VO}}_2$) thin film layer, which is further present on top of an underlying plasmonic (Au) film. The optical switching action in this nanostructure arises from the semiconductor-to-metal transition of the ${\mathrm{VO}}_2$ spacer layer, i.e., upon phase transition of ${\mathrm{VO}}_2$ from its semiconductor state to its metallic state, which can be induced by the application of heat, infrared light, or voltage. The phase transition of the ${\mathrm{VO}}_2$ layer results in a change in the reflectance signal from the Au nanowire-${\mathrm{VO}}_2$ spacer-Au film nanostructure. The differential reflectance signal, i.e., difference in the reflection spectra from this nanostructure when the ${\mathrm{VO}}_2$ spacer layer is present in its metallic and the semiconductor states, was calculated using RCWA simulations and employed as a measure of switchability. We demonstrate that switchability, as well as the wavelength at which the maximum differential reflectance is observed (i.e., the optimal switching wavelength), can be tuned over a wide spectral regime by changing the structural parameters of these optical switches. Ultrafast switching can be achieved using these optical switches, as the phase transition in the ${\mathrm{VO}}_2$ film spacer occurs at femto-second time scales. These optical switches can be fabricated using currently available nanofabrication capabilities.

© 2018 Optical Society of America

VO₂ based waveguide-mode plasmonic nano-gratings for optical switching

Yashna Sharma, Veeranjaneya A. Tiruveedhula, John F. Muth, and Anuj Dhawan
Opt. Express 23(5) 5822-5849 (2015)

Photoinduced surface plasmon switching at VO₂/Au interface

Nardeep Kumar, Armando Rúa, Jennifer Aldama, Karla Echeverría, Félix E. Fernández, and Sergiy Lysenko
Opt. Express 26(11) 13773-13782 (2018)

Tunable optical switching in the near-infrared spectral regime by employing plasmonic nanoantennas containing phase change materials

Priten B. Savaliya, Arun Thomas, Rishi Dua, and Anuj Dhawan
Opt. Express 25(20) 23755-23772 (2017)

Insulator to metal transition induced by surface plasmon polaritons in VO₂/Au thin films

S. E. Madaras, J. Creeden, S. Kittiwatanakul, J. Lu, I. Novikova, and R. A. Lukaszew
Opt. Express 26(20) 25657-25666 (2018)

Switchable polarization manipulation at the telecom wavelength based on L-shaped hybrid Au-VO₂ nanoholes

Jing Yang and Jiasen Zhang
Opt. Express 29(22) 35532-35543 (2021)