A Sub-Diffraction-Limit Dimension All-Plasmonic Optical Memory Using Non-Linear Photochromism

Abstract

The development of compact, high-speed, and energy-efficient optical memories remains a significant challenge in photonic and plasmonic technologies. Conventional optical memories are inherently limited by light diffraction, restricting miniaturization and causing inefficient energy transfer. A promising strategy to overcome these limitations is using propagating surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), enabling the confinement and propagation of optical fields along metal interfaces, and allowing photonic devices to scale down to sub-diffraction-limit dimensions. This work presents an all-plasmonic optical memory system based on silver nanowires (AgNWs) coated with photochromic diarylethene (DAE)..