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arXiv · 1506.05852

Modulating light with light via giant nano-opto-mechanical nonlinearity of plasmonic metamaterial

Jun-Yu Ou·Eric Plum·Jianfa Zhang·Nikolay I. Zheludev
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Abstract

From the demonstration of saturable absorption by Vavilow and Levshin in 1926, and with invention of the laser, unavailability of strongly nonlinear materials was a key obstacle for developing optical signal processing, in particular in transparent telecommunication networks. Today, most advanced photonic switching materials exploit gain dynamics and near-band and excitonic effects in semiconductors, nonlinearities in organic media with weakly-localized electrons and nonlinearities enhanced by hybridization with metamaterials. Here we report on a new type of artificial nonlinearity that is nano-opto-mechanical in nature. It was observed in an artificial metamaterial array of plasmonic meta-molecules supported by a flexible nano-membrane. Here nonlinearity is underpinned by the reversible reconfiguration of its structure induced by light. In a film of only 100 nanometres thickness we demonstrated modulation of light with light using milliwatt power telecom diode lasers.

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Jun-Yu Ou, Eric Plum, Jianfa Zhang, Nikolay I. Zheludev. 2015-06-18. Modulating light with light via giant nano-opto-mechanical nonlinearity of plasmonic metamaterial. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.201504467

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