Active directional switching of surface plasmon polaritons using a phase transition material

Active switching of near-field directivity, which is an essential functionality for compact integrated photonics and small optoelectronic elements, has been challenging due to small modulation depth and complicated fabrication methods for devices including active optical materials. Here, we theoretically and experimentally realize a nanoscale active directional switching of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) using a phase transition material for the first time. The SPP switching device with noticeable distinction is demonstrated based on the phase transition of vanadium dioxide (VO2) at the telecom wavelength. As the insulator-to-metal phase transition (IMT) of VO2 induces the large change of VO2 permittivity at telecom wavelengths, the plasmonic response of a nanoantenna made of VO2 can be largely tuned by external thermal stimuli. The VO2-insulator-metal (VIM) nanoantenna and its periodic array, the VIM metagrating, are suggested as optical switches. The directional power distinction ratio is designed to change from 8.13:1 to 1:10.56 by the IMT and it is experimentally verified that the ratio changes from 3.725:1 to 1:3.132 as the VIM metagratings are heated up to 90 degrees C. With an electro-thermally controllable configuration and an optimized resonant design, we expect potential applications of the active switching mechanism for integrable active plasmonic elements and reconfigurable imaging.