Hybrid silicon-plasmonics: efficient waveguide interfacing for low-loss integrated switching components

We present a thorough numerical investigation of end-fire coupling between dielectric-loaded surface plasmon polariton (DLSPP) and compact rib/wire silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguides. Simulations are based on the three-dimensional vector finite element method. The interface geometrical parameters leading to optimum performance, i.e., maximum coupling efficiency or, equivalently, minimum insertion loss (IL), are identified. We show that coupling efficiencies as high as 85 % are possible. In addition, we quantify the fabrication tolerances about the optimum parameter values. In the same context, we assess the effect of a metallic stripe gap and that of a horizontal offset between waveguides on insertion loss. Finally, we demonstrate that by benefiting form the low-loss coupling between the two waveguides, hybrid silicon-plasmonic 2 x 2 thermo-optic switching elements can outperform their all-plasmonic counterparts in terms of IL. Specifically, we examine two hybrid SOI-DLSPP switching elements, namely, a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI) and a Multi-Mode-Interference (MMI) switch. In particular, in the MZI case the IL improvement compared to the all-plasmonic counterpart is 4.5 dB. Moreover, the proposed hybrid components maintain the high extinction ratio, small footprint, and efficient tuning traits of plasmonic technology.

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