An Integrated Electrochromic Nanoplasmonic Optical Switch

We demonstrate an electrochemically driven optical switch based on absorption modulation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) propagating in a metallic nanoslit waveguide containing nanocrystals of electrochromic Prussian Blue dye. Optical transmission modulation of ∼96% is achieved by electrochemic...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nano letters 2011-07, Vol.11 (7), p.2774-2778
Main Authors: Agrawal, Amit, Susut, Ceren, Stafford, Gery, Bertocci, Ugo, McMorran, Benjamin, Lezec, Henri J, Talin, A. Alec
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Collective excitations (including excitons, polarons, plasmons and other charge-density excitations)
Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties
Cross-disciplinary physics: materials science
rheology
Dyes
Electrochemistry
Electrochromism
Electrolytes - chemistry
Electronic structure and electrical properties of surfaces, interfaces, thin films and low-dimensional structures
Electronics
Exact sciences and technology
Materials science
Methods of nanofabrication
Modulation
Molecular electronics, nanoelectronics
Nanocrystalline materials
Nanocrystals
Nanoscale materials and structures: fabrication and characterization
Nanostructure
Nanostructures - chemistry
Nanotechnology
Optical switching
Particle Size
Physics
Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices
Surface and interface electron states
Surface Plasmon Resonance
Surface Properties
Switching
Wave propagation
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Summary:We demonstrate an electrochemically driven optical switch based on absorption modulation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) propagating in a metallic nanoslit waveguide containing nanocrystals of electrochromic Prussian Blue dye. Optical transmission modulation of ∼96% is achieved by electrochemically switching the dye between its oxidized and reduced states using voltages below 1 V. High spatial overlap and long interaction length between the SPP and the active material are achieved by preferential growth of PB nanocrystals on the nanoslit sidewalls. The resulting orthogonalization between the directions of light propagation and that of charge transport from the electrolyte to ultrathin active material inside the nanoslit waveguide offers significant promise for the realization of electrochromic devices with record switching speeds.
ISSN:1530-6984
1530-6992
DOI:10.1021/nl201064x