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Nanofocusing in SOI-based hybrid plasmonic metal slot waveguides
Author(s) -
Nicholas A. Güsken,
Michael P. Nielsen,
Ngoc Bich Nguyen,
Stefan A. Maier,
Rupert F. Oulton
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - Uncategorized
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.26.030634
Subject(s) - materials science , plasmon , photonics , silicon , optics , optoelectronics , tapering , waveguide , silicon on insulator , silicon photonics , grating , physics , computer graphics (images) , computer science
Through a process of efficient dielectric to metallic waveguide mode conversion, we calculate a >400-fold field intensity enhancement in a silicon photonics compatible nanofocusing device. A metallic slot waveguide sits on top of the silicon slab waveguide with nanofocusing being achieved by tapering the slot width gradually. We evaluate the conversion between the numerous photonic modes of the planar silicon waveguide slab and the most confined plasmonic mode of a 20 x 50 nm 2 slot in the metallic film. With an efficiency of ~80%, this system enables remarkably effective nanofocusing, although the small amount of inter-mode coupling shows that this structure is not quite adiabatic. In order to couple photonic and plasmonic modes efficiently, in-plane focusing is required, simulated here by curved input grating couplers. The nanofocusing device shows how to efficiently bridge the photonic micro-regime and the plasmonic nano-regime whilst maintaining compatibility with the silicon photonics platform.

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