Sub-1-volt Electrically Programmable Optical Modulator Based on Active Tamm Plasmon.

Reconfigurable optical devices hold great promise for advancing high-density optical interconnects, photonic switching, and memory applications. While many optical modulators based on active materials have been demonstrated, it is challenging to achieve a high modulation depth with a low operation voltage in the near-infrared (NIR) range, which is a highly sought-after wavelength window for free-space communication and imaging applications. Here, we introduce electrically switchable Tamm plasmon coupled with poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS). The device allows for a high modulation depth across the entire near-infrared range by fully absorbing incident light even under epsilon near zero conditions. Optical modulation exceeding 88% was achieved using a CMOS-compatible voltage of ±1 V. This modulation is facilitated by precise electrical control of the charge carrier density through an electrochemical doping/dedoping process. Additionally, we extend the potential applications of our device for a non-volatile multi-memory state optical device, capable of rewritable optical memory storage and exhibiting long-term potentiation/depression properties with neuromorphic behavior. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.