Plasmon switching effect based on graphene nanoribbon pair arrays

•We theoretically demonstrate the existence of plasmon induced optical switching effect in graphene nanostructure.•It is found that the Fermi level and graphene width play an important role in adjusting the resonant wavelength, resulting in a significant optical switching effect.

We theoretically demonstrate the existence of plasmon switching effect in graphene nanostructure. By using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method, the plasmon resonance modes are studied in graphene nanoribbon pair arrays with the change of Fermi level, graphene width, and carrier mobility. It is found that the Fermi level and graphene width play an important role in changing the distribution of electric energy on different graphene nanoribbons, resulting in a significant plasmon switching effect. Moreover, we study the characteristic of resonance mode of one graphene ribbon by using glass rod with different shape. The effect of kerr material sandwiched between graphene nanoribbon pair is also considered.