Ultra fast plasma for all optical switches and pulse lasers

Plasmology plays a crucial role in advancing nanophotonics, as plasma structures exhibit a wide range of physical properties that benefit from local and enhanced light matter interactions. These characteristics are utilized in many applications, such as surface enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopy, sensors, and nanolasers.

In addition to these applications, the ultrafast optical response of plasma is also a key characteristic that has been used to achieve optical signal switching across different spectral bands, which is crucial for advanced optical logic circuits and telecommunications systems.
Recently, optical switches have become an important component of the development of all optical computing and signal processing, among which these optical switch devices require enhanced response speed, modulation depth, and wide spectral tunability.

The latest developments in the manufacturing and characterization of plasma nanostructures have stimulated the search for sustained effects in their potential applications in the field of photonics. Professor Liu and his team focus on the role of plasma in photonics, introducing the latest developments in ultrafast plasma materials, with a focus on all optical switches.

By elaborating on the ultrafast process revealed by experimental and theoretical methods, the basic phenomena of plasma light matter interaction and plasma dynamics were discussed, and the use of ultrafast plasma for all optical switching and pulse laser generation was comprehensively explained, with a focus on device design and performance.

Here, they introduce the light matter interactions related to the ultrafast plasma response observed in different plasma materials and structures in the first part, and then explain the theoretical and experimental methods developed to study the ultrafast mechanisms in plasmons.

In the following chapters of this article, they discuss and summarize ultrafast plasma optical switching systems based on the classification of plasma metasurfaces such as precious metals, phase change hybrid materials, conductive oxides, and waveguides. These ultrafast plasma metasurfaces are further divided by spectral bands in the visible and near-infrared ranges. The last section discusses the use of plasma ultrafast optical switches to generate ultrafast pulse lasers.

Ultra fast plasma has been widely used in an increasing number of photonics applications. This review article will serve as a reference for researchers to explore new processes in photonics by combining plasma.
The research results are published in the journal Ultrafast Science.

Source: Laser Net