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All-optical modulation by plasmonic excitation of CdSe quantum dots

Nature Photonics volume 1, pages 402–406 (2007)Cite this article

Abstract

Photonics is a promising candidate technology for information processing, communication and data storage1,2,3. Essential building blocks, such as logic elements and modulators, have been demonstrated4,5,6. However, because of weak nonlinear light–matter interactions, these components typically require high power densities and large interaction volumes, limiting their application in dense chip-based integration. A solution may be found in surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), guided electromagnetic waves that propagate with high field confinement along a metal–dielectric interface. We demonstrate an all-optical modulator in which efficient interaction between two light beams at different wavelengths is achieved by converting them into co-propagating SPPs interacting by means of a thin layer of CdSe quantum dots (QDs). The high SPP field confinement and high QD-absorption cross-section enable optical modulation at low power densities (∼102 W cm−2) in micrometre-scale planar devices.

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Figure 1: Two-colour all-optical plasmonic modulator.
Figure 2: Plasmonic interferometry.
Figure 3: All-optical modulation.
Figure 4: Power dependence of the pump transmission.

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Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge financial support from AFOSR MURI No. FA9550-04-1-0434.

Discussion and technical support from R. J. Walters, L. A. Sweatlock, T. Carmon, S. J. Kim and E. Marcora are also gratefully acknowledged.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Boulevard, Pasadena, 91125, California, USA

    Domenico Pacifici, Henri J. Lezec & Harry A. Atwater

  2. Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 3 rue Michel-Ange, Paris, 75794, Cedex 16, France

    Henri J. Lezec

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  1. Domenico Pacifici
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Correspondence to Harry A. Atwater.

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Pacifici, D., Lezec, H. & Atwater, H. All-optical modulation by plasmonic excitation of CdSe quantum dots. Nature Photon 1, 402–406 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphoton.2007.95

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