All-optical light control with a AlGaAs-based metal-PhC cavity via multiple optical Tamm states

Abstract

All-optical light control is the key technology for realizing optical computing, ultrahigh-speed information processing, and optical neural network. In this work, all-optical light control is investigated with a AlGaAs-based metal-photonic crystal (PhC) cavity, based on photorefractive effect and optical Tamm state. The proposed structure can generate multiple optical Tamm states in the stop-band of the PhC. That makes the optical properties of the proposed structure highly dependent on the refractive index of the AlGaAs layer. Through turning on and off the gate laser, the refractive index of the AlGaAs layer slightly changes. This tiny variation will strongly influence the intensity of the signal light. Simulated results show the normalized intensity of the reflected signal light can be tuned from ~0.0 to ~0.5 under suitable conditions. Meanwhile, this all-optical light control can be adjusted by changing the incident angle or the position of the signal light.