We demonstrate an efficient all-optical control of microfiber resonator assisted by graphene's photothermal effect. Wrapping graphene onto a microfiber resonator, the light-graphene interaction can be strongly enhanced via the resonantly circulating light, which enables a significant modulation of the resonance with a resonant wavelength shift rate of 71 pm/mW when pumped by a 1540 nm laser. The optically controlled resonator enables the implementation of low threshold optical bistability and switching with an extinction ratio exceeding 13 dB. The thin and compact structure promises a fast response speed of the control, with a rise (fall) time of 294.7 μs (212.2 μs) following the 10%–90% rule. The proposed device, with the advantages of compact structure, all-optical control, and low power acquirement, offers great potential in the miniaturization of active in-fiber photonic devices.

We report a graphene-assisted all-optical control of a fiber Bragg grating (FBG), which enables in-fiber optical bistability and switching. With an optical pump, a micro-FBG wrapped by graphene evolves into chirped and phase-shifted FBGs, whose characteristic wavelengths and bandwidths could be controlled by the pump power. Optical bistability and multistability are achieved in the controlled FBG based on a shifted Bragg reflection or Fabry-Perot-type resonance, which allow the implementation of optical switching with an extinction ratio exceeding 20 dB and a response time in tens of milliseconds.