Two-color all-optical switching in Si-compatible epsilon-near-zero hyperbolic metamaterials

Abstract: All-optical ultrafast switches enabled by artificial materials are considered at the forefront of the next generation of photonic communications and data processing. During the last two decades, the photonic applications, impact, and interest have tremendously increased in the framework of epsilon-near-zero (ENZ) photonics. Here, we experimentally propose a novel multilayered metamaterial utilizing Si-compatible titanium nitride and indium-tin-oxide materials. The device exhibits two effective ENZ wavelengths in the visible and near-infrared spectrum, with switching times down to a few hundred femtoseconds at the corresponding ENZ regions. This novel approach will bring ENZ metamaterials towards new hybrid integrated CMOS photonic circuit components for ultrafast all-optical terahertz modulation.