Thresholdless behavior and linearity of the optically induced metallization of NbO2

The authors investigate the optically induced metallization of NbO2. The optically induced modulation is found to be a result of a combination of photo-carrier induced refractive index changes and photothermally induced changes in NbO2, providing a better understanding of the optically induced metallization of NbO2 needed to develop all-optical modulator devices.