Au/MXene based ultrafast all-optical switching

All-optical switches have arisen great attention due to their ultrafast speed as compared with electric switches. However, the excellent optical properties and strong interaction of two-dimensional (2D) material MXene show great potentials in next-generation all-optical switching. As a solution, we propose all-optical switching used Au/MXene with switching full width at half maximum (FWHM) operating at 290 fs. Compared with pure MXene, the Au/MXene behaves outstanding performances due to local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), including broadband differential transmission, strong near-infrared on/off ratio enhancement. Remarkably, this study enhances understanding of Au/MXene based ultrafast all-optical switching red-shifted about 34 nm in comparison to MXene, validating all optical properties of Au/MXene opening the way to the implementation of optical interconnection and optical switching.

Automated summary

All-optical switches have attracted significant attention due to their ultrafast speed compared to electric switches. The exceptional optical properties and strong interaction of two-dimensional (2D) material MXene indicate its great potential in next-generation all-optical switching. In this study, we propose using Au/MXene for all-optical switching with a switching full width at half maximum (FWHM) operating at 290 fs. Compared to pure MXene, the Au/MXene exhibits outstanding performances, such as broadband differential transmission and strong enhancement in near-infrared on/off ratio, due to local surface plasmon resonance (LSPR). Importantly, this research demonstrates a red shift of approximately 34 nm in the ultrafast all-optical switching of Au/MXene compared to MXene, validating its all-optical properties and paving the way for optical interconnection and optical switching.