Electrically Switching Mid‐Infrared Surface Phonon Polariton Resonances via Phase Change Materials

ABSTRACT Surface phonon polaritons (SPhPs), hybrid light‐matter quasiparticles exhibiting exceptional mid‐infrared field enhancement and subwavelength confinement, hold great potential for long‐range energy transport at deep‐subwavelength scales, enhanced light‐matter interactions with molecular vibrational modes, and tailored thermal radiation control. Despite these prospects, achieving in situ reconfigurable SPhP resonances with on‐chip operational capability remains a critical challenge. Here, we have demonstrated an electrically switchable SPhP platform using an Au/VO 2 /quartz heterostructure. This heterostructure sustains strongly localized SPhP resonances that can be dynamically switched via either global thermal actuation from stage heating or local Joule heating from electrical current injection. Remarkably, electrical switching achieves a millisecond response time with AC bias, which prominently eliminates the hysteretic effect observed in thermal or DC bias operation. Our work establishes a foundational framework for real‐time SPhP resonance engineering via phase change materials and could accelerate the development of active phonon‐polaritonic antennas for integrated mid‐infrared photonic systems.