Metamaterial terahertz switch based on split-ring resonator embedded with photoconductive silicon

In this paper, a metamaterial terahertz (THz) switch based on a split-ring resonator embedded with photoconductive silicon is presented and numerically investigated. Simulation results show that the switch works at two different resonant modes with different pump light powers and that the response time of the switch is less than 1 ps. By defining the switching window as the frequency range where the transmission magnitude of the ON state is one order of magnitude higher than the OFF state, a switching window ranging from 1.26 to 1.49 THz is obtained. The large modulation depth of the switch is due to the large separations of the maximum and minimum transmissions, which are 0.89 and 0.01, respectively. Particularly, the switch is frequency tunable by changing the thickness and permittivity of the dielectric layer. (C) 2015 Optical Society of Americ