Nonreciprocal switching of VO$_{2}$ thin films on microstructured surfaces

ORAL

Abstract

Vanadium dioxide is a strongly correlated electron material that undergoes an insulator-to-metal transition at approximately 340~K, with a corresponding large change in its optical and electronic properties. By depositing a VO$_{2}$ thin film on a planar hexagonal close-packed array of 1.54~$\mu $m diameter silica microspheres, we constructed a laser-triggered thin film optical switch that exhibits different fluence thresholds for the insulator-metal transition (IMT) depending on the direction of illumination. The IMT was triggered by a ns Nd:YAG laser (532 nm) from two directions normal to the substrate while monitoring the transmission with a near-IR diode laser. Due to the focusing effects of the microspheres, the fluence required for switching the VO$_{2}$ was 2.4 times higher when the switching laser was incident from the film (top) side of the array than from the microsphere (bottom) side. Through both the experiments and simulations, we find evidence for strong nonlinear near-field absorption in the VO$_{2}$.

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Authors

  • Charles Adams

    Vanderbilt Univ.

  • Philip Adams

    Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, ORNL, UT, ORNL/UT, UK, LSU, Louisiana State University, Zhejiang Normal University, Center for Computation and Technology, Louisiana State University, University of Tuebingen, Germany, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Max Plank Institute for Astrophysics, Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille, Albert Einstein Institute, California Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics \& Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, Dept. of Physics \& Astronomy, Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, LA 70803, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Dept. of Physics \& Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Ohio State University, Wright State University, Department of Physics, North Carolina A\&T State University, Clark Atlanta University, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, P, Princeton University, University of New Orleans, Alabama A\&M University, Vanderbilt Univ., Konstanz Univ., Isik Univ., Department of Physics, Yale University

  • Philip Adams

    Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, ORNL, UT, ORNL/UT, UK, LSU, Louisiana State University, Zhejiang Normal University, Center for Computation and Technology, Louisiana State University, University of Tuebingen, Germany, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Max Plank Institute for Astrophysics, Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille, Albert Einstein Institute, California Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics \& Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, Dept. of Physics \& Astronomy, Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, LA 70803, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Dept. of Physics \& Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Ohio State University, Wright State University, Department of Physics, North Carolina A\&T State University, Clark Atlanta University, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, P, Princeton University, University of New Orleans, Alabama A\&M University, Vanderbilt Univ., Konstanz Univ., Isik Univ., Department of Physics, Yale University

  • Philip Adams

    Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, ORNL, UT, ORNL/UT, UK, LSU, Louisiana State University, Zhejiang Normal University, Center for Computation and Technology, Louisiana State University, University of Tuebingen, Germany, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Max Plank Institute for Astrophysics, Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille, Albert Einstein Institute, California Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics \& Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, Dept. of Physics \& Astronomy, Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, LA 70803, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Dept. of Physics \& Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Ohio State University, Wright State University, Department of Physics, North Carolina A\&T State University, Clark Atlanta University, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, P, Princeton University, University of New Orleans, Alabama A\&M University, Vanderbilt Univ., Konstanz Univ., Isik Univ., Department of Physics, Yale University

  • Philip Adams

    Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, ORNL, UT, ORNL/UT, UK, LSU, Louisiana State University, Zhejiang Normal University, Center for Computation and Technology, Louisiana State University, University of Tuebingen, Germany, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics, Max Plank Institute for Astrophysics, Laboratoire d'Astrophysique de Marseille, Albert Einstein Institute, California Institute of Technology, Dept. of Physics \& Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, Dept. of Physics \& Astronomy, Louisiana State Univ., Baton Rouge, LA 70803, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Dept. of Physics \& Astronomy, Louisiana State University, Ohio State University, Wright State University, Department of Physics, North Carolina A\&T State University, Clark Atlanta University, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, P, Princeton University, University of New Orleans, Alabama A\&M University, Vanderbilt Univ., Konstanz Univ., Isik Univ., Department of Physics, Yale University