Electrically pumped hybrid plasmonic waveguide

Abstract

Active plasmonic waveguiding has become a key requirement for designing and implementing nanophotonic devices. We study theoretically the performance of an Au/GaSb-based, metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) structure acting as a hybrid electrically pumped waveguide with gain. The surface-plasmon polariton (SPP) mode supported by this configuration is analyzed in the third telecommunication window and discussed in detail. Changes in the effective mode index, confinement factor and effective mode area are illustrated for different core widths and layer thicknesses. Electrical behavior of the MIS junction is analyzed using a self-consistent numerical technique and used to study variations in the material and model gains within the semiconducting region of the device. Our results indicate the possibility of achieving low loss SPP propagation while maintaining a strong field confinement.