Long-range dielectric-loaded surface plasmon polariton waveguides operating at telecommunication wavelengths

We report on the realization of long-range dielectric-loaded surface plasmon polariton waveguides (LR-DLSPPWs) consisting of straight and bent subwavelength dielectric ridges deposited on thin and narrow metal stripes supported by a dielectric buffer layer covering a low-index substrate. Using imaging with a near-field optical microscope and end-fire coupling with a tapered fiber connected to a tunable laser at telecommunication wavelengths (1425-1545?nm), we demonstrate low-loss (propagation length ～500?μm) and well-confined (mode width ～1?μm) LR-DLSPPW mode guiding and determine the propagation and bend loss.