An All-Optical Plasmon Modulator with a High Extinction Ratio Based on the Resonance of a Silver Block
Conventional all-optical modulators based on surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) primarily utilize the nonlinear effect of a given material for modulation. Their performance is heavily dependent on the optical properties of the dielectric materials used and requires high pumping power. However, manipu...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| author | Jimi Fang Sisi Yang Xuefang Hu Changgui Lu Mengjia Lu |
| author_facet | Jimi Fang Sisi Yang Xuefang Hu Changgui Lu Mengjia Lu |
| author_sort | Jimi Fang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Conventional all-optical modulators based on surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) primarily utilize the nonlinear effect of a given material for modulation. Their performance is heavily dependent on the optical properties of the dielectric materials used and requires high pumping power. However, manipulating SPPs by controlling electron concentrations offers a material-independent approach suitable for all-optical modulators. In this paper, we propose a hybrid gold–ITO–silver block structure integrated within a Mach–Zehnder interferometer configuration to address this problem. The gold–ITO interface effectively localizes propagating SPPs. The pump light excites localized surface plasmons (LSPs) in the silver block, generating surface electric fields that modulate the electron concentration in the adjacent ITO layer. The extinction ratio is 50.8 dB when the electron concentration changes by 3.3 × 10<sup>20</sup> cm<sup>−3</sup>, indicating that this structure is an all-optical modulator with a high extinction ratio. This approach shows significant promise for reducing pump power and enhancing the performance of all-optical modulators. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c00cf587a3e047e1a916debd24b1bef0 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2304-6732 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Photonics |
| spelling | doaj-art-c00cf587a3e047e1a916debd24b1bef02025-08-20T02:47:09ZengMDPI AGPhotonics2304-67322025-06-0112764610.3390/photonics12070646An All-Optical Plasmon Modulator with a High Extinction Ratio Based on the Resonance of a Silver BlockJimi Fang0Sisi Yang1Xuefang Hu2Changgui Lu3Mengjia Lu4College of Digital Technology and Engineering, Ningbo University of Finance & Economics, Ningbo 315175, ChinaDepartment of Global Convergence, Kangwon National University, 1 Gangwondaehak-gil, Chuncheon-si 24341, Gangwon-do, Republic of KoreaCollege of Digital Technology and Engineering, Ningbo University of Finance & Economics, Ningbo 315175, ChinaAdvanced Photonics Center, School of Electronic Science & Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210018, ChinaSchool of Information Technology, Jiangsu Open University, Nanjing 210036, ChinaConventional all-optical modulators based on surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) primarily utilize the nonlinear effect of a given material for modulation. Their performance is heavily dependent on the optical properties of the dielectric materials used and requires high pumping power. However, manipulating SPPs by controlling electron concentrations offers a material-independent approach suitable for all-optical modulators. In this paper, we propose a hybrid gold–ITO–silver block structure integrated within a Mach–Zehnder interferometer configuration to address this problem. The gold–ITO interface effectively localizes propagating SPPs. The pump light excites localized surface plasmons (LSPs) in the silver block, generating surface electric fields that modulate the electron concentration in the adjacent ITO layer. The extinction ratio is 50.8 dB when the electron concentration changes by 3.3 × 10<sup>20</sup> cm<sup>−3</sup>, indicating that this structure is an all-optical modulator with a high extinction ratio. This approach shows significant promise for reducing pump power and enhancing the performance of all-optical modulators.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6732/12/7/646all-optical modulatorelectron concentrationlocalized surface plasmonsextinction ratio |
| spellingShingle | Jimi Fang Sisi Yang Xuefang Hu Changgui Lu Mengjia Lu An All-Optical Plasmon Modulator with a High Extinction Ratio Based on the Resonance of a Silver Block Photonics all-optical modulator electron concentration localized surface plasmons extinction ratio |
| title | An All-Optical Plasmon Modulator with a High Extinction Ratio Based on the Resonance of a Silver Block |
| title_full | An All-Optical Plasmon Modulator with a High Extinction Ratio Based on the Resonance of a Silver Block |
| title_fullStr | An All-Optical Plasmon Modulator with a High Extinction Ratio Based on the Resonance of a Silver Block |
| title_full_unstemmed | An All-Optical Plasmon Modulator with a High Extinction Ratio Based on the Resonance of a Silver Block |
| title_short | An All-Optical Plasmon Modulator with a High Extinction Ratio Based on the Resonance of a Silver Block |
| title_sort | all optical plasmon modulator with a high extinction ratio based on the resonance of a silver block |
| topic | all-optical modulator electron concentration localized surface plasmons extinction ratio |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2304-6732/12/7/646 |
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