Ultrafast optical switching of terahertz metamaterials fabricated on ErAs/GaAs nanoisland superlattices.
We demonstrate optical switching of electrically resonant terahertz planar metamaterials fabricated on ErAs/GaAs nanoisland superlattice substrates. Photoexcited charge carriers in the superlattice shunt the capacitive regions of the constituent elements, thereby modulating the resonant response of the metamaterials. A switching recovery time of 20 ps results from fast carrier recombination in the ErAs/GaAs superlattice substrates.
Chen
Hou-Tong
HT
Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico 87545, USA. chenht@lanl.gov
Padilla
Willie J
WJ
Zide
Joshua M O
JM
Bank
Seth R
SR
Gossard
Arthur C
AC
Taylor
Antoinette J
AJ
Averitt
Richard D
RD