All-optical active plasmonic devices with memory and power switching functionalities based on epsilon-near-zero nonlinear metamaterials

摘要

All-optical active plasmonic devices are of fundamental importance fordesigning efficient nanophotonic circuits. We theoretically propose andnumerically investigate an active plasmonic device made up of a nonlinearepsilon-near-zero metamaterial slab of thickness smaller than 100 nanometerslying on a linear epsilon-near-zero metamaterial substrate. We predict that, infree-space coupling configuration, the device, operating at low-intensity,would display plasmon mediated hysteresis behavior since the phase differencebetween the reflected and the incident optical waves turns out to bemulti-valued and dependent on the history of the excitation process. Such anhysteresis behavior would allow to regard the proposed device as a compactmemory unit whose state is accessible by measuring either the mentioned phasedifference or the power, which is multi-valued as well, carried by thenonlinear plasmon wave. Since multiple plasmon powers comprise both positiveand negative values, the device would also operate as a switch of the plasmonpower direction at each jump along an hysteresis loop.