Characteristics analysis of a hybrid surface plasmonic waveguide with nanometric confinement and high optical intensity

Abstract

A hybrid surface plasmonic waveguide with nanometric confinement is proposed. With interactions between high-index-contrast dielectric waveguide modes and surface plasmon modes of a very thin metal film, nanometric hybrid surface plasmon modes with high optical intensities can be formed. Characteristics of the symmetric and asymmetric hybrid surface plasmon modes, including the effective mode indices, propagation lengths, mode sizes, and power intensities at telecom wavelength (1550 nm), are investigated in detail. Simulation results show that nanometric mode confinement and a long propagation length can be realized simultaneously. The high optical power intensity and long propagation length of the nanometric hybrid surface plasmon modes are very promising for high-density photonic integration and nonlinear waveguide applications.