All-optical switching in silicon photonic waveguides with an epsilon-near-zero resonant cavity [invited]

TY - JOUR

T1 - All-optical switching in silicon photonic waveguides with an epsilon-near-zero resonant cavity [invited]

AU - Neira, Andres D.

AU - Wurtz, Gregory A.

AU - Zayats, Anatoly V.

PY - 2018/5/1

Y1 - 2018/5/1

N2 - Strong nonlinearity of plasmonic metamaterials can be designed near their effective plasma frequency in the epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) regime. We explore the realization of an all-optical modulator based on the Au nonlinearity using an ENZ cavity formed by a few Au nanorods inside a Si photonic waveguide. The resulting modulator has robust performance with a modulation depth of about 30 dB/μm and loss less than 0.8 dB for switching energies below 600 fJ. The modulator provides a double advantage of high mode transmission and strong nonlinearity enhancement in the few-nanorod-based design.

AB - Strong nonlinearity of plasmonic metamaterials can be designed near their effective plasma frequency in the epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) regime. We explore the realization of an all-optical modulator based on the Au nonlinearity using an ENZ cavity formed by a few Au nanorods inside a Si photonic waveguide. The resulting modulator has robust performance with a modulation depth of about 30 dB/μm and loss less than 0.8 dB for switching energies below 600 fJ. The modulator provides a double advantage of high mode transmission and strong nonlinearity enhancement in the few-nanorod-based design.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85046353536&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1364/PRJ.6.0000B1

DO - 10.1364/PRJ.6.0000B1

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85046353536

SN - 2327-9125

VL - 6

SP - B1-B5

JO - Photonics Research

JF - Photonics Research

IS - 5

ER -