Reflective nonlinear optical limiter design based on coupled Tamm plasmon polaritons and optical Kerr effect

•We propose a brand-new approach to design a reflective nonlinear optical limiter (NOL).•This is the first reflective NOL based on coupled TPPs induced high linear transmission.•The NOL has an ultra-wide stop band range of 0.5 ∼ 20 µm, which is wider than other conventional reflective NOLs.•The NOL has characteristics such as low propagation loss, irrespective of the incident angle and polarization independence.•Our work provides a potential route to designing an excellent reflective NOL at the desired wavelength. With the increasing applications of high-power lasers in fields such as laser fabrication, laser measurement, laser therapy and scientific research, there is an increasing demand for high-performance nonlinear optical limiters (NOLs) to protect human eyes and optical sensitive elements. Here we propose a brand-new approach to design a reflective NOL with an ultra-wide stop band based on coupled Tamm plasmon polaritons (TPPs) and optical Kerr effect. The NOL permits the transmission of weak signal light at the desired wavelength while effectively blocking potentially harmful or accidentally intense lasers at the same wavelength to avoid damage to sensitive optical elements or human eyes. The design can be optimized for the desired operating wavelength and threshold intensity by using different dielectric layers. In a proof-of-concept design, taking the 1064 nm laser as an example, we design a NOL capable of dynamically adjusting its transmission in response to laser intensity. The NOL has a high transmission of 85.21 % at weak light (intensity less than 0.20 MW/cm2), and the transmission can be rapidly reduced to 1.39 % when the incident light intensity increases to 60.37 MW/cm2. Furthermore, the broad stop band effectively safeguards the limiter from potential damage caused by intense light at different wavelengths. Our proposed limiter exhibits an exceptionally wide stop band range spanning from 0.5 ∼ 20 µm, nearly 30 times broader than conventional reflective NOLs. The proposed NOL design scheme provides a new promising method to design an excellent reflective NOL at the desired wavelength.