Compact and efficient coupler to interface hybrid dielectric-loaded plasmonic waveguide with silicon photonic slab waveguide

A coupler is proposed to interface a hybrid dielectric-loaded plasmonic waveguide (HDLPW) with a silicon photonic slab waveguide. The HDLPW is firstly designed and optimized to attain the best tradeoff between the mode confinement and the propagation distance. The designed coupler is inspired from the taper configuration and numerically modeled through finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulation. The results demonstrate that a high confinement and low loss of the energy is achieved from a silicon photonic slab waveguide into the dielectric slot of area 50×200 nm² in the HDLPW. The transmission attained through the coupler with a compact size of 400 nm is found to be as high as 80% (1 dB). Further, the planar nature of taper configuration makes the coupler easy to fabricate using the state-of-the-art CMOS facilities. The proposed coupler is useful in enabling the integration between photonic and hybrid plasmonic waveguides and thus realizing on-chip hybrid integrated circuits.     

Design and analysis of a vertical directional coupler between a three-dimensional plasmonic slot waveguide and a silicon waveguide

The design of a vertical directional coupler between a three-dimensional plasmonic slot waveguide and a silicon waveguide is theoretically investigated in detail. It consists of two steps: the design of isolated plasmonic slot waveguide and silicon waveguide and the determination of the gap between the two waveguides and the length of a coupling region. The designed structure transfers 70.8% of the power carried by the silicon waveguide mode to the plasmonic slot waveguide mode when the gap is 150 nm and the coupling length is 2.14 μm. The wavelength dependence of our vertical directional coupler is also studied. The analysis shows that the amount of the transferred power changes slightly over a very wide wavelength range between 1.40 μm and 1.61 μm. Moreover, if we employ the fabrication technology for silicon photonics, it is quite tolerant to the variation of the length of its coupling section. Finally, the vertical directional coupler is considered for a polarizer.     

Vertical coupling characteristics between hybrid plasmonic slot waveguide and Si waveguide

For development of complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS)-compatible integrated optical circuits, vertical directional coupling between a hybrid plasmonic slot waveguide and a Si waveguide is theoretically investigated in detail. To determine the vertical separation gap and efficient coupling length, we investigate the characteristics of the even and odd supermodes at a wavelength of 1.55 μm. The vertical coupler transfers 90% of the power carried by the Si waveguide to the hybrid plasmonic slot waveguide after normalizing to reference waveguides when the gap is 60 nm and the coupling length is 2.6 μm. Because of the lossy hybrid guided mode in the plasmonic waveguide, the transmitted power exhibits damped sinusoidal behavior depending on the overlapping length. The proposed vertical coupler shows more efficient light coupling between a dielectric and plasmonic waveguide in comparison to the other types of hybrid coupler, and can be exploited further for on-chip integrated opto-electronic circuits.     

Compact multimode interference coupler with tapered waveguide geometry

In this paper, a novel MMI coupler, based on general interference, with tapered waveguide geometry has been proposed for reduction of coupling length. The coupling characteristics and power imbalance of the proposed structure are compared with conventional MMI structures by using a mathematical model based on sinusoidal modes. It is seen that the beat length for tapered MMI coupler with angle of taper ∼1.05° is reduced by ∼24% of that of conventional MMI coupler and the coupling characteristics obtained with the mathematical model, match well with those obtained by more sophisticated BPM computer aided design software. The power imbalance for tapered 3 dB MMI coupler is more sensitive to the wavelength than that for conventional 3 dB MMI coupler and variation of power imbalance with fabrication tolerance for both the MMI coupler is almost same.     

Two-dimensional plasmonic eigenmode nanolocalization in an inhomogeneous metal-dielectric-metal slot waveguide

We show that transverse, with respect to the propagation direction, local narrowing of a metal-dielectricmetal plasmonic slot waveguide leads to a two-dimensional surface plasmon nanolocalization and can squeeze the plasmon eigenmode into a spot with a characteristic size of about several tens of nanometers. We demonstrate that the simultaneous waveguide tapering and decreasing transverse narrowing scale make possible an enhancement of the plasmon propagation distance in comparison with the homogeneous waveguide. We also find the fundamental limit of 2D plasmon nanolocalization, which is of the same order as the depth of penetration of the electromagnetic field into a metal which is actually independent of the field frequency in the near infrared domain.     

Highly efficient narrow-band plasmonic waveguide filter based on cascaded slot cavities

A novel plasmonic waveguide filter design based on three cascaded slot cavities is proposed. The cascaded nanocavities support a united resonant （UR） mode. Light is trapped in the middle nanocavity at telecom- muaication wavelenEth （1550 rim） when the UR mode exists. This phenomenon leads to the efficient transmittance and high Q factor of the plasmonic filter. The resonant wavelength and Q factor can be easily modulated by the cavity radii and the waveguide width.     

Propagation properties of a modified surface plasmonic waveguide with an arc slot

We introduce a modified surface plasmonic waveguide with an arc slot. The dependences of distribution of energy flux density, effective index, propagation length and mode area of the symmetric mode supported by this waveguide on geometrical parameters and working wavelength are analysed by using the finite-difference frequency-domain (FDFD) method. Results show that the energy flux density distributes mainly in four corners which are formed by two arcs, and the closer to the corners it is, the stronger the energy flux density will be. The effective index, the propagation length and the mode area are influenced by geometrical parameters, including the width, the thickness and the arc radius of the surface plasmonic waveguide, as well as the working wavelength. It has been shown that the surface plasmonic waveguide with an arc slot has better propagation properties than the surface plasmonic waveguide with a straight slot. This work may be helpful for applying the slot surface plasmonic waveguide to integrated photonics.     

Investigation of a slot nanoantenna in optical frequency range

Following the analogy of radio frequency slot antenna and its complementary dipole, we propose the implementation of a slot nanoantenna (SNA) in the optical frequency range. Using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method, we investigate the electromagnetic (EM) properties of a SNA formed in a thin gold film and compare the results with the properties of a gold dipole nanoantenna (DNA) of the same dimension as the slot. It is found that the response of the SNA is very similar to the DNA, like their counterparts in the radio frequency (RF) range. The SNA can enhance the near field intensity of incident field which strongly depends on its feedgap dimension. The resonance of the SNA is influenced by its slot length; for the increasing slot length, resonant frequency decreases whereas the sharpness of resonance increases. Besides, the resonance of the SNA is found sensitive to the thickness of metal film, when the latter is smaller than the skin depth. The effect of polarization of incident field on the EM response of the SNA was examined; the field enhancement is optimum when polarization is parallel to the feedgap. Finally, we calculate the radiation patterns of the DNA and SNA and compare them with those of the RF dipole antenna. The radiation pattern of the SNA is found to be independent of its slot length when excited at resonant frequency. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study on a slot antenna in the optical frequency.     

Multi-mode holographic waveguide coupler

A double-exposure thick-holographic-grating waveguide coupler is described in which two waveguide modes can be excited with a single incident beam. Single-grating decouplers are also designed to selectively remove one of the coupled waves.     

一种电光可调的铌酸锂/钠基表面等离子体定向耦合器

为了满足日益增加的集成光子器件设计的需求,本文研究了一种铌酸锂/钠表面等离子体波导(Li Nb O3/Na surface plasmonic waveguide, LNSPW),并利用LNSPW构成电光可调的定向耦合器(directional coupling,DC).利用有限元方法 (finite element method, FEM)对波导的模式特性和耦合器的耦合特性进行了分析.结果表明,随着波导尺寸的增大,传播长度可达约200μm,归一化有效模场面积小于0.4.通过调节耦合间距(W_gap)、耦合长度(L_C)和工作波长(λ)等参数,铌酸锂钠表面等离子体波导构建的定向耦合结构可实现3 d B耦合.当W_gap=100 nm和L_C=17μm时, DC在V₀=53 V时可实现3 d B耦合,且具有较好的方向性和隔离度.LNSPW的研究为实现可调的DC提供了一种可行的方案,在集成电光可调器件研究领域有潜在的应用前景.除此之外, LNSPW还可广泛应用于非线性光学、光信号处理及光全...     

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.     

Nonlinear directional coupling between plasmonic slot waveguides

A numerical investigation of nonlinear switching in plasmonic directional couplers made of two dielectric slab waveguides with metallic claddings is presented. We assume Kerr-nonlinear dielectric and study the influence of geometrical parameters, metallic losses, and metal nonlinearities on coupler characteristics. We observe a general trade-off between losses and nonlinearity levels required for the switching operation. Underlying physical mechanisms that affect the coupler performance are discussed. The obtained results can be useful in design and optimization of the nonlinear plasmonic couplers.     

Resonant plasmonic and vibrational coupling in a tailored nanoantenna for infrared detection

A novel resonant mechanism involving the interference of a broadband plasmon with the narrowband vibration from molecules is presented. With the use of this concept, we demonstrate experimentally the enormous enhancement of the vibrational signals from less than one attomol of molecules on individual gold nanowires, tailored to act as plasmonic nanoantennas in the infrared. By detuning the resonance via a change in the antenna length, a Fano-type behavior of the spectral signal is observed, which is clearly supported by full electrodynamical calculations. This resonant mechanism can be a new paradigm for sensitive infrared identification of molecular groups.     

Ferrite loaded graphene based plasmonic waveguide

In this paper, we investigate surface plasmon (SP) propagation characteristics in a ferrite loaded graphene based waveguide biased by an external magnetic flux density. Propagation lengths and dispersion features of the excited SPs can be actively tailored via applying external electro- and magneto-static bias fields. Nonreciprocal property of the structure risen from magneto-optic behavior of the ferrite is clear, in vicinity of the Larmor frequency, according to the derived dispersion equation. The structure is investigated analytically through basic electromagnetic theory. The results can be utilized in design of nonreciprocal components.     

Numerical study of sub-wavelength plasmonic waveguide

The authors present an analysis of a plasmonic waveguide, simulated using a two-dimensional finite-difference time-domain technique. With the surface structures located on the surface of the metal, the device is able to confine and guide light waves in a sub-wavelength scale. And two waveguides can be placed within 150 nm (∼6% of the incident wavelength) that will helpful for the optoelectronic integration. Within the 20 μm simulation region, it is found that the intensity of the guided light at the interface is roughly two to four times the peak intensity of the incident light, and the propagation length can reach approximately 40 μm at the wavelength of 2.44 μm.     

Volume grating preferential-order focusing waveguide coupler

A volume grating focusing waveguide coupler has been designed, fabricated, and tested. The volume grating is designed to couple a 633-nm wave guided in a single-mode polyimide waveguide preferentially into the air cover. The beam is outcoupled normally to the surface of the waveguide and focused to a line 25 mm above the waveguide. The slanted-fringe volume grating is holographically recorded by the interference of two coherent 364-nm ultraviolet waves focused with a cylindrical lens to produce the chirped grating. The 1-mm-long volume grating coupler exhibits a preferential-coupling ratio of 0.98, a coupling efficiency of 95%, and an almost diffraction-limited focal line with a full width at half-maximum of 10.49mum.     

Design of efficient coupling configuration with L-shaped plasmoic waveguide and nanoantenna

Optical Review - A novel design for an efficient coupling configuration, which consists of a L-shaped dielectric loaded surface plasmon polaritons (DLSPPs) waveguide and L-shaped nanoantenna, is...     

Numerical analysis for millimeter wave slot type coupler

The numerical analysis for millimeter wave slot type coupler of overmode waveguide cavity is studied by mode-matching taking account of the thickness of the plate on which the slot is cut. It is found that the higher modes in cavity can be suppressed by proper thickness of the plat and proper dimension of the output waveguide.     

Polarization-independent optical directional coupler based on slot waveguides

A polarization-independent optical directional coupler based on slot waveguides is proposed and analyzed by using rigorous full-vectorial analysis methods based on a finite-element scheme. Properly choosing materials and structural parameters makes the coupling length for quasi-TE modes become equal to that for quasi-TM modes. Tolerances to operating wavelength and structural parameters are also discussed. The proposed coupler can be used for highly integrated optical circuits without polarization diversity schemes.