An ultrafast and low-power slow light tuning mechanism for compact aperture-coupled disk resonators

Abstract

An ultrafast and low-power slow light tuning mechanism based on plasmon-induced transparency (PIT) for two disk cavities aperture-coupled to a metal-dielectric-metal plasmonic waveguide system is investigated numerically and analytically. The optical Kerr effect is enhanced by the local electromagnetic field of surface plasmon polaritons, slow light, and graphene-Ag composite material structures with a large effective Kerr nonlinear coefficient. Through the dynamic adjustment of the frequency of the disk nanocavity, the group velocity is controlled between c/53.2 and c/15.1 with the pump light intensity increased from 0.41 MW/cm2 to 2.05 MW/cm2. Alternatively, through the dynamic adjustment of the propagation phase of the plasmonic waveguide, the group velocity is controlled between c/2.8 and c/14.8 with the pump light intensity increased from 5.88 MW/cm2 to 11.76 MW/cm2. The phase shift multiplication of the PIT effect is observed. Calculation results indicate that the entire structure is ultracompact and has a footprint of less than 0.8 μm2. An ultrafast responsive time in the order of 1 ps is reached due to the ultrafast carrier relaxation dynamics of graphene. All findings are comprehensively analyzed through finite-difference time-domain simulations and with a coupling-mode equation system. The results can serve as a reference for the design and fabrication of nanoscale integration photonic devices with low power consumption and ultrafast nonlinear responses.