A hybrid plasmonic waveguide for subwavelength confinement and long-range propagation

Oulton, R. F. and Sorger, V. J. and Genov, D. A. and Pile, D. F. P. and Zhang, X.. (2008) A hybrid plasmonic waveguide for subwavelength confinement and long-range propagation. Nature Photonics, 2 (8). pp. 496-500. ISSN 1749-4885

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Abstract

The emerging field of nanophotonics1 addresses the critical challenge of manipulating light on scales much smaller than the wavelength. However, very few feasible practical approaches exist at present. Surface plasmon polaritons2, 3 are among the most promising candidates for subwavelength optical confinement3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. However, studies of long-range surface plasmon polaritons have only demonstrated optical confinement comparable to that of conventional dielectric waveguides, because of practical issues including optical losses and stringent fabrication demands3, 11, 12, 13. Here, we propose a new approach that integrates dielectric waveguiding with plasmonics. The hybrid optical waveguide consists of a dielectric nanowire separated from a metal surface by a nanoscale dielectric gap. The coupling between the plasmonic and waveguide modes across the gap enables 'capacitor-like' energy storage that allows effective subwavelength transmission in non-metallic regions. In this way, surface plasmon polaritons can travel over large distances (40–150 microm) with strong mode confinement (ranging from lambda2/400 to lambda2/40). This approach is fully compatible with semiconductor fabrication techniques and could lead to truly nanoscale semiconductor-based plasmonics and photonics.

Item Type: Article
Additional Information: Reprinted by permission from Macmillan Publishers Ltd: [Nature Photonics] ("A hybrid plasmonic waveguide for subwavelength confinement and long-range propagation", Oulton R et al., Nature Photonics 2, 496 - 500 (2008)), copyright (2008)
Uncontrolled Keywords: Optical waveguide, Plasmonics
InterNano Taxonomy: Nanoscale Objects and Nanostructured Materials > Nanowires
Collections: Nanomanufacturing Research Collection > Nanomanufacturing Nanoscale Science and Engineering Centers > Center for Scalable and Integrated Nanomanufacturing
Depositing User: Moureen Kemei
Date Deposited: 07 Apr 2010 16:07
Last Modified: 26 Sep 2014 21:24
URI: http://eprints.internano.org/id/eprint/411

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