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Ultrafast Relaxation of Charge Carriers Induced Switching in Terahertz Metamaterials

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Abstract

We demonstrate ultrafast switching of resonant mode in terahertz metamaterials through optical excitation of radiation-damaged silicon placed in the gap of a split-ring resonator. Upon optical excitation, we observe the dynamic transition of the fundamental resonance from ON-to-OFF state on a timescale of 4 picoseconds (ps) and then fast recovery of the resonance to the ON-state within the next 20 ps. Electric field distributions in the metamaterial unit cell derived through numerical simulations clearly support our experimental observations, showing that the high electric field at the resonator gaps, responsible for inductive-capacitive (LC) resonance, completely disappears and switches OFF the resonance after being optically excited. The ultrafast switching of the metamaterial resonance is attributed to the relaxation of the photo-carriers through the defect states of radiation-damaged silicon layer. Such ultrafast material–based active control of metamaterials can lead to the ultrafast terahertz metaphotonic devices.

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Acknowledgements

Authors A. K. A. and D. R. C. acknowledge support from the Los Alamos National Laboratory LDRD Program. This work was performed, in part, at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, a US Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences Nanoscale Science Research Centre operated jointly by Los Alamos and Sandia National Laboratories. Los Alamos National Laboratory, an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer, is operated by Los Alamos National Security, LLC, for the National Nuclear Security Administration of the US Department of Energy under contract DE-AC52-06NA25396. Author D. R. C. acknowledge partial support from the SERB, Department of Science and Technology, India (EMR/2015/001339). Author, GK gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the Board of Research in Nuclear Sciences (BRNS), India (34/20/17/2015/BRNS).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, 781039, AS, India

    S. Jagan Mohan Rao & Gagan Kumar

  2. Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Materials Physics and Applications Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM, 87545, USA

    Abul K. Azad & Dibakar Roy Chowdhury

  3. Mahindra Ecole Centrale, Jeedimetla, Hyderabad, 500043, TS, India

    Dibakar Roy Chowdhury

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  1. S. Jagan Mohan Rao
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  2. Gagan Kumar
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Correspondence to Dibakar Roy Chowdhury.

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Rao, S.J.M., Kumar, G., Azad, A.K. et al. Ultrafast Relaxation of Charge Carriers Induced Switching in Terahertz Metamaterials. J Infrared Milli Terahz Waves 39, 1211–1220 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10762-018-0547-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10762-018-0547-6

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