Researchers develop all-optical photonic nanowire switch

The research was conducted by associate professor Ritesh Agarwal and graduate student Brian Piccione of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering in the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science. Post-doctoral fellows Chang-Hee Cho and Lambert van Vugt, also of the Materials Science Department, contributed to the study.

According to a statement, the research team’s innovation built upon its earlier research, which showed that the cadmium sulphide nanowires exhibited extremely strong light-matter coupling, making them efficient at light manipulation.

This quality is said to be crucial for the development of nanoscale photonic circuits, as existing mechanisms for controlling the flow of light are bulkier and require more energy than their electronic analogues.

‘The biggest challenge for photonic structures on the nanoscale is getting the light in, manipulating it once it’s there and then getting it out,’ said Agarwal. ‘Our major innovation was how we solved the first problem, in that it allowed us to use the nanowires themselves for an on-chip light source.’