All-optical reversible control of integrated resonant cavity by a self-assembled azobenzene monolayer
Abstract
The next frontier in photonics will rely on the synergistic combination of disparate material systems. One unique organic molecule is azobenzene. This molecule can reversibly change conformations when optically excited in the blue (trans-to-cis) or mid-IR (cis-to-trans). Here, we form an oriented monolayer of azobenzene-containing 4-(4-diethylaminophenylazo)pyridine (Aazo) on SiO2 optical resonators. Due to the uniformity of the Aazo layers, quality factors over 106 are achieved. To control the photo-response, the density of Aazo groups is tuned by integrating methyl spacer molecules. Using a pair of lasers, the molecule is reversibly flipped between molecular conformations, inducing a refractive index change which results in a resonant wavelength shift. The magnitude of the shift scales with the relative surface density of Aazo. To investigate reproducibility and stability of the organic monolayer, three switching cycles are demonstrated, and the performance is consistent even after a device is stored in air for 6 months.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Jul 14, 2020
- Source ID
- 10.1364/oe.397776
Entities
People
- Andre Kovach
- Andrea Armani
- Dongyu Chen
- Jinghan He
- Patrick J. G. Saris
- R. Yu
Organizations
- Army Research Office
- Office of Naval Research