Dual control all-optical switch based on MIM door-type waveguide

In this paper, a simple plasma switch structure based on metal-insulator-metal (MIM) waveguide with dual control of pressure and light intensity is proposed and numerically simulated by finite element method. This structure consists of two rectangular cavities and a door-type bus waveguide with a circular barrier, and produces multiple resonances which can be adjusted independently by changing structural parameters. Pressure can effectively and selectively control the switch at different working wavelengths, and light intensity can also do this when the structure is filled with Kerr nonlinear materials instead of air. The transmission responses of the structure induced by pressure and light intensity are approximate S-curve, which proves that pressure and light intensity can realize switching effect. Furthermore, when only the bottom of a rectangular cavity is filled with Kerr nonlinear materials, an Off-On-Off switching process is achieved, in which the structure is switched from Off state to On state under pressure control and then from On state to Off state under light intensity control, and the extinction parameters are larger than 0.98. The dual control switch may be a suitable candidate for composite alloptical device in optical integrated circuits.