All-optical diode based on plasmonic attenuation and nonlinear frequency conversion

TL;DR

This paper proposes an all-optical diode using plasmonic attenuation and nonlinear frequency conversion in a metal-dielectric structure, achieving unidirectional signal output with high contrast and tunability.

Contribution

It introduces a novel anti-symmetric nonlinear susceptibility design that enables direction-dependent plasmonic nonlinear processes for unidirectional light transmission.

Findings

Achieves unidirectional plasmonic signal output.

Demonstrates low power consumption and high isolation contrast.

Offers wide structural and initial condition acceptance.

Abstract

We present design of an all-optical diode in a metal-dielectric structure where plasmonic attenuation and quasi-phase-matching (QPM) is harnessed to improve its performance greatly. Due to the anti-symmetric design of the nonlinear susceptibility, different incident direction will ignite different plasmonic nonlinear process, which either compensates plasmonic attenuation sufficiently or accelerates it seriously. As a result, unidirectional output of plasmonic signal is achieved. This designed all-optical diode shows advantages of low power consumption, short sample length, high isolation contrast, wide acceptance of structural and initial conditions, and tunable unidirectionality, and becomes of practical interest.