A self-supported ultrathin plasmonic film for ultrafast optical switching. Issue 3 (19th January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Yang, Jinghui; Fu, Yulan; Zhang, Xinping
• Is Part Of: Nanoscale advances. Volume 4:Issue 3(2022)
• Page Start: 943
• Page End: 951
• Publication Date: 2022-01-19
• Subjects: 620.5
• DOI: 10.1039/d1na00761k
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2516-0230

Abstract

Abstract : An ultrafast optical switch is achieved using a self-supported ultrathin plasmonic film. An optical modulation as high as 10% is achieved for a pump fluence of 170 μJ cm −2, implying a flexibly transferable and integrable optical logic device. Abstract : Self-supporting gold nanowire (AuNW) gratings with a thickness of about 200 nm are produced by solution-processing and flexible-transfer techniques. Such an ultrathin structure is applied as an ultrafast optical switch that enables low-threshold optical modulation with a high signal contrast and a high signal-to-noise ratio. Transient energy-band modification in gold under excitation by femtosecond laser pulses is the main responsible mechanism. For a pump fluence of about 170 μJ cm −2, a modulation depth of about 10% is achieved for the optical switching signal. Self-supporting metallic plasmonic photonic thin films with a large area and flexible structures are important for applications in a large variety of circumstances and on different interfaces for optical signal processing, optical logic circuits, and optical communication systems.