Open AccessEfficient photo-thermal activation of gold nanoparticle-doped polymer plasmonic switches
Author(s) -
Jean-Claude Weeber,
Karim Hassan,
Lucien Saviot,
Alain Dereux,
Cédric Boissière,
Olivier Durupthy,
Corinne Chanéac,
Ekaterina Burov,
Alain Pastouret
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.20.027636
Subject(s) - materials science , plasmon , optoelectronics , doping , surface plasmon resonance , colloidal gold , optics , surface plasmon , nanoparticle , electron beam lithography , nanotechnology , resist , physics , layer (electronics)
We report on the photo-thermal activation of dielectric loaded plasmonic switches comprised of gold nanoparticle-doped polymer deposited onto a gold film. The plasmonic switches rely on a multi-mode interferometer design and are fabricated by electron beam lithography applied to a positive resin doped with gold nanoparticles at a volume ratio of 0.52%. A cross-bar switching is obtained at telecom wavelengths by pumping the devices with a visible beam having a frequency within the localized surface plasmon resonance band of the embedded nanoparticles. By comparing the switching performances of doped and undoped devices, we show that for the modest doping level we consider, the power needed to activate the doped switches is reduced by a factor 2.5 compared to undoped devices. The minimization of activation power is attributed to enhanced light-heat conversion and optimized spatial heat generation for doped devices and not to a change of the thermo-optic coefficient of the doped polymer.