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Abstract
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A one-dimensional photonic crystal structure with a nonlinear metal-dielectric nanocomposite
defect layer is proposed to control the optical bistability (OB) of the transmitted wave by tuning the
externally applied dc electric field. Using the transfer matrix method for dielectric layers and
solving the Helmholtz nonlinear equation in the nonlinear composite layer, the linear transmittance
spectrum and the nonlinear transmission curve are illustrated graphically for different applied
fields. A field-dependent defect mode is observed in the linear transmittance spectrum.
Consequently, the OB switch-up and -down thresholds can be manipulated via the applied field
intensity. Due to the field dependence of composite layer refractive index, the physical response of
the observation is the dynamical shifting of the defect mode. Moreover, it is shown that the volume
fraction, shape, and type of the embedded nanoparticles as well as the kind of the dielectric host
have large influences on the OB threshold. The proposed structure has significant potential applications
in optical integrated devices.
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