Active Plasmonics: Controlling Signals in Au/Ga Waveguide using Nanoscale Structural Transformations

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel active plasmonic control method using nanoscale structural transformations in gallium to modulate signals in a metal-dielectric waveguide with high efficiency and fast switching times.

Contribution

It presents a new concept for active plasmonics utilizing phase changes in gallium to control surface plasmon-polariton signals with numerical analysis support.

Findings

Signal modulation depth exceeds 80%.

Switching times range from picoseconds to microseconds.

Effective control of plasmonic signals via phase change in gallium.

Abstract

We develop a new concept for active plasmonics exploiting nanoscale structural transformations which is supported by rigorous numerical analysis. We show that surface plasmon-polariton signals in a metal-on-dielectric waveguide containing a gallium section a few microns long can be effectively controlled by switching the structural phase of gallium. The switching may be achieved by either changing the waveguide temperature or by external optical excitation. The signal modulation depth could exceed 80 percent and switching times are expected to be in the picosecond-microsecond time scale.