Efficient end-fire coupling of surface plasmons on flat metal surfaces for improved plasmonic Mach-Zehnder interferometer

An efficient on-chip coupling mechanism is essential for nanoplasmonic circuits and elements. We show theoretically that end-fire coupling is a promising candidate to deliver light into regions with subwavelength dimension on flat metal surfaces. A design and optimization principle is presented for a flat metal surface and further demonstrated in a plasmonic Mach-Zehnder interferometer platform. The physical mechanism is discussed based on reciprocity. By considering the radiation pattern and position of the incidence, the coupling efficiency at the metal/air interface can be enhanced up to 77.6%–95.4%, which is promising to develop energy-efficient applications for on-chip plasmonic waveguide networks and sensors.

[1]  Xue-Wen Chen,et al.  Highly efficient interfacing of guided plasmons and photons in nanowires. , 2009, Nano letters.

[2]  A. Y. Elezzabi,et al.  Experimental realization of subwavelength plasmonic slot waveguides on a silicon platform. , 2010, Optics letters.

[3]  Qiaoqiang Gan,et al.  Plasmonic Mach-Zehnder interferometer for ultrasensitive on-chip biosensing. , 2011, ACS nano.

[4]  P Lalanne,et al.  Theory of surface plasmon generation at nanoslit apertures. , 2005, Physical review letters.

[5]  T. Ebbesen,et al.  Channel plasmon subwavelength waveguide components including interferometers and ring resonators , 2006, Nature.

[6]  Pierre Berini,et al.  Amplification of long-range surface plasmons by a dipolar gain medium , 2010 .

[7]  Qihuang Gong,et al.  Refractive index sensor based on surface-plasmon interference. , 2009, Optics letters.

[8]  Eyal Feigenbaum,et al.  Efficient coupling between dielectric-loaded plasmonic and silicon photonic waveguides. , 2010, Nano letters.

[9]  Qiaoqiang Gan,et al.  Observation of surface plasmon waves generated by nanogrooves through spectral interference , 2010, 2010 IEEE Photinic Society's 23rd Annual Meeting.

[10]  Xue-Wen Chen,et al.  Nanofocusing radially-polarized beams for high-throughput funneling of optical energy to the near field. , 2010, Optics express.

[11]  D. Koller,et al.  Organic plasmon-emitting diode , 2008 .

[12]  Surface plasmon coupling efficiency from nanoslit apertures to metal-insulator-metal waveguides , 2012 .

[13]  An integrated surface-plasmon source. , 2010, Optics express.

[14]  P. Lalanne,et al.  A microscopic view of the electromagnetic properties of sub-λ metallic surfaces , 2009 .

[15]  Byoungho Lee,et al.  Highly efficient plasmonic interconnector based on the asymmetric junction between metal-dielectric-metal and dielectric slab waveguides. , 2011, Optics express.

[16]  H. Casey.  CHAPTER 6 – PHASE EQUILIBRIA AND HETEROEPITAXY , 1978 .

[17]  Hui Cao,et al.  Perfect coupling of light to surface plasmons by coherent absorption. , 2011, Physical review letters.

[18]  E. Eliel,et al.  Plasmon-assisted two-slit transmission: Young's experiment revisited. , 2005, Physical review letters.

[19]  Merrielle Spain,et al.  Tunable color filters based on metal-insulator-metal resonators. , 2009, Nano letters.

[20]  Qiaoqiang Gan,et al.  Vertical plasmonic mach-zehnder interferometer for sensitive optical sensing , 2009, 2010 IEEE Photinic Society's 23rd Annual Meeting.

[21]  Min Qiu,et al.  Broadband coupler between silicon waveguide and hybrid plasmonic waveguide. , 2010, Optics express.

[22]  A. Lavrinenko,et al.  Nanocouplers for Infrared and Visible Light , 2012, 1206.6601.

[23]  Philippe Lalanne,et al.  Interaction between optical nano-objects at metallo-dielectric interfaces , 2006 .

[24]  H. Lezec,et al.  All-optical modulation by plasmonic excitation of CdSe quantum dots , 2007 .

[25]  H. Lezec,et al.  Negative Refraction at Visible Frequencies , 2007, Science.