Kerr Nonlinearity in 2D Graphdiyne for Passive Photonic Diodes

Abstract

Graphdiyne is a new carbon allotrope comprising sp- and sp² -hybridized carbon atoms arranged in a 2D layered structure. In this contribution, 2D graphdiyne is demonstrated to exhibit a strong light-matter interaction with high stability to achieve a broadband Kerr nonlinear optical response, which is useful for nonreciprocal light propagation in passive photonic diodes. Furthermore, advantage of the unique Kerr nonlinearity of 2D graphdiyne is taken and a nonreciprocal light propagation device is proposed based on the novel similarity comparison method. Graphdiyne has demonstrated a large nonlinear refractive index in the order of ≈10^-5 cm² W^-1 , comparing favorably to that of graphene. Based on the strong Kerr nonlinearity of 2D graphdiyne, a nonlinear photonic diode that breaks time-reversal symmetry is demonstrated to realize the unidirectional excitation of Kerr nonlinearity, which can be regarded as a significant demonstration of a graphdiyne-based prototypical application in nonlinear photonics and might suggest an important step toward versatile graphdiyne-based advanced passive photonics devices in the future.