纳米光子学全光开关研究进展

全光开关是全光网络和数字光信息处理的基本器件，该器件主要基于非线性光学原理．自激光发明以来，对该器件的研究已历时半个世纪．虽然全光开关的基础研究十分活跃，研究成果丰硕，但是至今尚未做出实用器件．文章分析了全光开关面临的困难，指出只有在极小的时空条件下，也就是采用飞秒激光驱动的纳米尺寸器件，才有可能研制出低开关功率、高开关速度、低插入损耗的实用的全光开关器件．文章简要介绍了近10年来纳米全光开关的研究成果，包括纳米尺寸干涉仪开关（空间开关）、量子限制光双稳触发器（时间开关）、半导体光放大器的波长转换器（波长开关）、光子晶体带隙移动开关和表面等离子体激元开关（强度开关）等5类16种典型的纳米全光开关器件．

All-optical switches based on nanophotonics

The all-optical switch (AOS) is the basis of digital optical information processing, and is a basic device of future all-optical communication, computing, and networks. Since the laser appeared, the AOS has been studied for more than 40 years,but no practical devices have been developed so far. The main reason is that the nonlinear-optics based AOS presents difficulties which are hard to overcome. Recent research shows that nanophotonics and superfast photonics may be able to overcome these difficulties. In this paper we will describe the progress over nearly ten years in the investigation of AOS’s based on nanoscale waveguides and nanophotonic materials,some all-optical switches have already achieved the specifications required by current applications, with a switching power on the order of milliwatts and switching time below nanoseconds.