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Plasmonic monolithic lithium niobate directional coupler switches

Author

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  • Martin Thomaschewski

    (University of Southern Denmark)

  • Vladimir A. Zenin

    (University of Southern Denmark)

  • Christian Wolff

    (University of Southern Denmark)

  • Sergey I. Bozhevolnyi

    (University of Southern Denmark)

Abstract

Lithium niobate (LN) has been the material of choice for electro-optic modulators owing to its excellent physical properties. While conventional LN electro-optic modulators continue to be the workhorse of the modern optoelectronics, they are becoming progressively too bulky, expensive, and power-hungry to fully serve the needs of this industry. Here, we demonstrate plasmonic electro-optic directional coupler switches consisting of two closely spaced nm-thin gold nanostripes on LN substrates that guide both coupled electromagnetic modes and electrical signals that control their coupling, thereby enabling ultra-compact switching and modulation functionalities. Extreme confinement and good spatial overlap of both slow-plasmon modes and electrostatic fields created by the nanostripes allow us to achieve a 90% modulation depth with 20-μm-long switches characterized by a broadband electro-optic modulation efficiency of 0.3 V cm. Our monolithic LN plasmonic platform enables a wide range of cost-effective optical communication applications that demand μm-scale footprints, ultrafast operation and high environmental stability.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Thomaschewski & Vladimir A. Zenin & Christian Wolff & Sergey I. Bozhevolnyi, 2020. "Plasmonic monolithic lithium niobate directional coupler switches," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 11(1), pages 1-6, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:11:y:2020:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-020-14539-y
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14539-y
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