Electrically pumped dielectric loaded surface plasmon waveguides

Abstract

Several schemes for the electrical pumping of dielectric loaded surface plasmon polariton waveguides are analysed. Two schemes that are designed to move the electrical contact away from the plasmon mode are compared to a Schottky contact scheme which has the electrical contact at the same metal/semiconductor interface which supports the surface plasmon mode. One scheme involves transporting carriers from lateral contacts via a thin semiconductor pathway. The other scheme involves burying the electrical contact inside the metal surface and having the surface plasmon mode skip over the break in the metal/semiconductor interface. The Schottky contact scheme is shown to have the best confinement of the surface plasmon mode on the gain medium. However, the other two alternative schemes can be engineered to require significantly less gain to overcome metal losses. Current densities required in the non Schottky contact schemes are found to be compatible with current semiconductor laser electrical contacts.