Electrically reduced optical switching threshold of VO2-based THz metasurface

Abstract

The VO2-based THz metasurface optical switching threshold is reduced by more than five orders of magnitude to 0.32-0.4 W/cm2 due to the supply of a subthreshold electric current. Moreover, additional deposition of Au nanoparticles can further reduce the threshold by 30% due to plasmonic effects. The proposed designs and a combined approach to controlling the sub-THz/THz transmission by electric current and light make it possible to overcome the existing bottleneck in design of dynamically programmable THz mirror array based on metasurfaces.