Unidirectional manipulation of surface plasmon polariton by dual-nanocavity in a T-shaped waveguide

A structure of two dimensional T-shaped metal-insulator-metal waveguide with dual-nanocavity is proposed. The two nanocavities located at each side of the slit on the lower metallic surface, act as band rejection filters and are capable of stopping the surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) at the resonant wavelengths. The Fabry-Perot interferometry theory and the Finite-Difference-Time-Domain method are utilized to investigate the proposed waveguide. The numerical results demonstrate the realization of miniaturized photonic devices for effectively switching the SPPs propagation between the left and right waveguides in one direction.     

High extinction ratio metal-insulator-semiconductor waveguide surface plasmon polariton polarizer

The attenuation characteristics of a multilayer metal clad GaAs-AlGaAs optical waveguide polarizer are theoretically investigated. The dispersion relations and field distribution of the multilayer structures are calculated for different geometrical parameters and material properties. The polarizer studied consists of a single mode finite/infinite metal clad GaAs-AlGaAs waveguide with a dielectric (SiO₂/Si₃N₄) buffer layer inserted between the metal and the waveguide.Conventionally, the TM polarized waves are found to exhibit an absorption peak at a particular buffer thickness (called critical buffer thickness).We shall show that the maximum TM absorption can be improved by a multiple factor up to 7 by choosing a buffer layer thicker than its critical value. This corresponds to an extinction ratio of 1470 dB for a polarizer length of 1 mm. Further, thicker buffers reduce the insertion losses and values as low as 0.1 dB can be obtained. The strong TM absorption in these structures is interpreted as resonant coupling of the guided mode to the lossy surface plasmon polariton supported by the thin metal film. Thicker buffer also reduces the TE losses (insertion losses) and hence increases the extinction ratio (ratio of TM to TE losses).This can be achieved by optimizing the buffer and the metal thicknesses. Another equally efficient polarizer can be designed by positioning a dielectric (same as buffer) layer (superstrate layer) above the metal film and then optimizing the buffer, metal and the superstrate thicknesses. We also show that the proposed polarizer with the superstrate layer is highly stable even when exposed to the extreme atmospheric changes.     

紫外表面等离激元在基于氧化锌纳米线的半导体-绝缘介质-金属结构中的输运特性研究

研究了紫外表面等离激元在半导体纳米线-绝缘介质-金属构成的波导结构中的输运问题,借助有限元方法,对这种波导所支持导模的电磁能分布、有效折射率、传播长度和有效模场面积随电磁参数和几何结构参数的依赖关系进行了分析.计算结果表明:以氧化锌纳米线作为增益介质,绝缘材料选择折射率小的空气,金属选择铝能够实现对输出光场的亚波长约束,有效模场面积达到λ2/100,同时保持低的传输损耗和高场强限制能力;有望用作纳米光源,使得相关的生物探测器件和医疗诊断设备实现更高的灵敏度和更小的体积.     

金属导线偶合THz表面等离子体波

利用THz时域光谱技术,研究了具有不同排列参数的金属导线阵列的透射特性,分析了金属导线半径,排列间隔以及入射电场的偏振方向对表面等离子体波产生和传播的影响.在具有等间隔缝隙的金属导线中,当电场偏振方向垂直金属导线时,透射信号受等离子模式和谐振腔模式的共振效应的影响;而当电场偏振平行金属导线时,只存在谐振腔模式的共振. 关键词： THz 时域光谱 铜导线 表面等离子体     

Photonic bandgap structures for long-range surface plasmon polaritons

Propagation of long-range surface plasmon polaritons (LR-SPPs) along periodically thickness-modulated metal stripes embedded in dielectric is studied both theoretically and experimentally for light wavelengths in the telecom range. We demonstrate that symmetric (with respect to the film surface) nm-size thickness variations result in the pronounced band gap effect, and obtain very good agreement between measured and simulated (transmission and reflection) spectra. This effect is exploited to realize a compact wavelength add-drop filter with the bandwidth of 20 nm centered at 1550 nm. The possibilities of achieving a full bandgap (in the surface plane) for LR-SPPs are also discussed.     

基于石墨烯加载的不对称纳米天线对的表面等离激元单向耦合器

本文设计并数值研究了一种石墨烯加载的不对称金属纳米天线对结构.利用石墨烯费米能级的动态调控特性,实现了电控表面等离激元的单向传输.类似于传统的三明治型纳米天线结构,设计的不对称金属纳米天线对结构可以等效为两个共振的磁偶极子,由于磁偶极子辐射电磁波的干涉,将导致单向传输效应.通过计算腔中的电场分布,发现石墨烯的调谐能力与石墨烯区域的电场强度成正比关系.以上现象都可以通过等效电路模型进行理论解释.此外,该结构具有小尺寸、高效率、宽带宽和易于光电集成等优点,在未来的光子集成与光电子学领域将具有重要的应用.     

Analysis of waveguide structure for surface plasmon polariton interference

This paper describes a multi-reflected mode based on a narrow waveguide to enlarge the interferential area of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs). A reasonable thickness of metal film is coated under the waveguide, the incident angle and the waveguide thickness are optimized in order to effectively increase interferential area. This is a key point for research into the Goos--H\"anchen shift to optimize the waveguide thickness. Finally, the SPP interferential field is simulated with the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique to prove the optimized results, and indicates that not only is the interferential area enlarged, but the high contrast is also maintained. Furthermore, the mode can fabricate some specific interferential patterns by adding some modulating techniques to the waveguide. So the mode has potential application in the fabrication of sub-wavelength patterns.     

基于电光聚合物的表面等离激元调制器

基于电光聚合物,提出了一种结构简单,尺寸小,效率高的表面等离激元(SPP)调制器.该调制器采用M-Z干涉仪结构的金属波导,金属周围是均匀极化后的电光聚合物,通过在金属波导两臂间加电压对聚合物折射率进行调制,折射率调制再通过M-Z干涉仪结构转化为对金属波导中SPP强度的调制. 通过求解金属波导附近的电场分布,并结合SPP场分布的特点,在理论上说明了这种结构可以通过外加电压有效地调制金属波导输出端SPP的强度,调制所需的半波电压约为2.8V. 关键词： 表面等离激元 电光调制 电光聚合物     

Surface plasmon polaritons mediated by surface modes in a metal-based photonic crystal complex structure

A hybrid metal–organic–photonic crystal (PC), a gold film with a SU8 film on its top followed by a three-dimensional (3D) PC, was designed to exercise additional control upon the photon behaviors. Attenuated total reflection measurements demonstrate that the 3D PC plays a crucial role in the formation of significant optical properties of the metal-based hybrid and the reflectivity minimum in its reflectivity curve is, mostly, a result of synergetic action of the coupling of surface plasmon polaritons to surface modes and additional guided modes yielded in the resonant cavity composed of the gold film and the PC.     

Surface plasmon polaritons on square-lattice arrays of three-fold symmetric nanostructures

The influence of the geometry of three-fold symmetric rotor shaped nanostructures arranged as a two-dimensional square-lattice on the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) is studied numerically. We consider SPP-related extrema of the far-field reflectivity R(α) as a function of the polarization angle α of the incident light. In agreement with recent experimental work, it is observed that these extrema shift away from α=0° and α=90°, where they are found for rotationally invariant nanostructures. The polarization angle corresponding to the most efficient SPP excitation is found to be independent of the shape of the individual nanostructures. We further investigate the influence of the shape and size of the nanostructures and discuss consequences for optical near- and far-field properties.     

Surface plasmon polariton scattering by small ellipsoid particles

Scattering of surface plasmon polaritons (SPP’s) by small ellipsoid particles placed near a dielectric–metal interface is theoretically considered. Using the Green’s function formalism and the dipole approximation, we consider the differential and total scattering cross-sections associated with the SPP-to-SPP scattering as well as with the SPP scattering into waves propagating away from the interface, analyzing the influence of system parameters. As an example, scattering cross-sections of differently shaped gold spheroid particles placed near an air–gold interface are evaluated at the light wavelength of 800 nm. It is shown that the differential and total cross-sections depend strongly upon the particle-to-surface distance, the ratio between the major and minor axes and their orientation with respect to both the interface and the direction of SPP incidence. Implications of the obtained results to the design of SPP micro-optical components are also discussed.     

Dual mode near-field scanning optical microscopy for near-field imaging of surface plasmon polariton

In this paper, we theoretically and experimentally demonstrate that metal coated apertured probes are efficient near-field probes on surfaces with high reflectivity for the scattering as well as for the collection mode near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM). We show that a blunt apertured metal coated tip is very effective in suppressing image dipoles which affect strongly the signals scattered from frequently used sharp metal tips or gold nanoparticle attached probes. By using a simultaneous collection and scattering mode (dual mode) NSOM we measure the near-field images of surface plasmon polariton (SPP) launched from a slit. The collection mode measures propagating SPP along lateral distance in a long scan range with high signal-to-noise ratio, and the scattering mode measures the polarization resolved near-field of SPP. Comparisons of the measured data obtained in the dual mode enable to easily characterize SPP and to separate the measured near-field into the propagating SPP and the directly transmitted light.     

Hybrid vertical directional coupling between a long range surface plasmon polariton waveguide and a dielectric waveguide

To investigate light coupling between a long range surface plasmon polariton (LRSPP) waveguide and a conventional integrated optical component, a hybrid vertical directional coupler consisting of a LRSPP waveguides and a dielectric waveguide is investigated and fabricated. In the proposed coupler the dielectric waveguide and LRSPP waveguide are vertically configured for dense integration and strong coupling. The characteristics of the even and odd super-modes of the coupler are also analyzed to design the device. The fabricated device exhibits damped sinusoidal behavior along the coupling length due to propagation loss of the LRSPP waveguide. The maximum power transfer of 86% from the LRSPP waveguide to the dielectric waveguide is achieved at the coupling length of 600 μm. The measured characteristics of the device are in relatively good agreement with a theoretical analysis.     

Two surface plasmon resonances effects for light through the perforated metal film

Light transmission through perforated metal film has been reported and some investigations have been made into the physical origin of this phenomenon. We show that the transmission assisted with surface plasmon (SP) through a perforated metal film results from two different SP resonances effects: surface plasmon resonance due to the periodicity at the left air/metal and right metal/air interfaces and localized cavities resonance inside rectangular holes. The fields intensity is localized separately on the left and right metal-air surfaces for structure-factor-induced surface plasmon mode. And for localized cavities resonance mode, standing electromagnetic fields can also be entirely localized inside the nanohole region. The aspect ratio of the rectangular holes can affect the transmission.     

IR surface plasmon (polariton) phase spectroscopy

New experimental evidence is presented which shows that the reliability and the precision of the determination of the optical constants of the metallic and dielectric surfaces can be improved by using the surface electromagnetic wave absorption spectroscopy and SEW phase spectroscopy simultaneously.     

Mass transport on adsorbate multilayers studied by surface plasmon polariton wave excitation

We excited surface-plasmon polariton waves (SPPW) on Cu(111) by coupling a monochromatic optical beam with a xenon multilayer thickness grating on the metal. The SPPW excitation was detected with an angle-resolved oblique-incidence reflectivity difference technique (OI-RD). The amplitude of the resonance OI-RD signal was a quadratic function of the grating modulation depth. By monitoring the decay of the resonance OI-RD signal as a function of time and temperature, we were able to study the mass transport of xenon that plays a key role in the annealing of a “rough” Xe multilayer crystalline film.     

Magneto-optic phase shift in plasmon propagation along garnet/semiconductor-on-insulator structures

This paper discusses the magneto-optic phase shift in garnet/semiconductor-on-insulator plasmonic waveguides. We consider two structures: (1) Y IG/Si/SiO₂ and (2) Y IG/GaInAsP/AlInAs-oxide. A dispersion relation for the plasmon propagation has been derived and the nonreciprocal phase shift of the fundamental TM mode has been determined at wavelengths of 1.55 μm, 1.5 μm and 1.3 μm.     

Surface plasmon polariton coupling between a metal nanowire and a metal helix

The transmittance and steady-state electrical field distribution of a silver nanowire–helix system are investigated using the finite-difference time-domain method. In the nanowire–helix system, surface plasmon polaritons are coupled into the helix or squeezed into the space between the nanowire and helix. The transmittance strongly depends on the topologic shapes of the helix, especially the pitch height. Thus, the nanowire–helix system enables the detection of the displacement associated with helical deformation.     

长程表面等离子体的增强效应

研究了双层金属薄膜构型中构型参数对长程表面等离子体的影响,并发现了衰减全反射激发方法下长程表面等离子体的增强效应.以特征矩阵算法为基础,通过数值计算构型的反射谱,研究构型参数的变化对反射谱的影响.发现由于衰减全反射激发方法中耦合器的存在导致的非对称特性,会使双层金属薄膜构型中的长程表面等离子体拥有本征模式特性以外的有趣特性,如长程模式得到增强而另一支受到抑制,从而使能量更为集中在希望被激发的一支.研究结果对非对称激发构型中的长程表面等离子体研究具有启发意义.     

Surface plasmon polariton amplification in semiconductor–graphene–dielectric structure

A mechanism of amplification of surface plasmon polaritons due to the transfer of electromagnetic energy from a drift current wave into a far‐infrared surface wave propagating along a semiconductor‐dielectric boundary in waveguide geometry is proposed. A necessary condition of the interaction of these waves is phase matching condition, i. e., when the phase velocity of the surface wave approaches the drift velocity of charge carriers. It is shown that in the spectral region of the surface plasmon polariton slowing‐down its amplification coefficient can reach values substantially exceeding the ohmic loss coefficient of the surface wave in the structure.