A robust and tuneable mid-infrared optical switch enabled by bulk Dirac fermions

Chunhui Zhu, Fengqiu Wang (), Yafei Meng, Xiang Yuan, Faxian Xiu (), Hongyu Luo, Yazhou Wang, Jianfeng Li (), Xinjie Lv, Liang He, Yongbing Xu, Junfeng Liu, Chao Zhang, Yi Shi, Rong Zhang and Shining Zhu
Additional contact information
Chunhui Zhu: School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University
Fengqiu Wang: School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University
Yafei Meng: School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University
Xiang Yuan: Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University
Faxian Xiu: Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University
Hongyu Luo: School of Optoelectronic Information, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Yazhou Wang: School of Optoelectronic Information, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Jianfeng Li: School of Optoelectronic Information, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China
Xinjie Lv: Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University
Liang He: School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University
Yongbing Xu: School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University
Junfeng Liu: South University of Science and Technology of China
Chao Zhang: School of Physics and Institute for Superconducting and Electronic Materials, University of Wollongong
Yi Shi: School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University
Rong Zhang: School of Electronic Science and Engineering, Nanjing University
Shining Zhu: Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing University

Nature Communications, 2017, vol. 8, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Pulsed lasers operating in the mid-infrared (3–20 μm) are important for a wide range of applications in sensing, spectroscopy, imaging and communications. Despite recent advances with mid-infrared gain platforms, the lack of a capable pulse generation mechanism remains a significant technological challenge. Here we show that bulk Dirac fermions in molecular beam epitaxy grown crystalline Cd3As2, a three-dimensional topological Dirac semimetal, constitutes an exceptional ultrafast optical switching mechanism for the mid-infrared. Significantly, we show robust and effective tuning of the scattering channels of Dirac fermions via an element doping approach, where photocarrier relaxation times are found flexibly controlled over an order of magnitude (from 8 ps to 800 fs at 4.5 μm). Our findings reveal the strong impact of Cr doping on ultrafast optical properties in Cd3As2 and open up the long sought parameter space crucial for the development of compact and high-performance mid-infrared ultrafast sources.

Date: 2017
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms14111

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