Long-range plasmonic waveguides with hyperbolic cladding.

Viktoriia E Babicheva,Satoshi Ishii,Alexandra Boltasseva,Mikhail Y Shalaginov,Alexander V Kildishev

doi:10.1364/oe.23.031109

Abstract

We study plasmonic waveguides with dielectric cores and hyperbolic multilayer claddings. The proposed design provides better performance in terms of propagation length and mode confinement in comparison to conventional designs, such as metal-insulator-metal and insulator-metal-insulator plasmonic waveguides. We show that the proposed structures support long-range surface plasmon modes, which exist when the permittivity of the core matches the transverse effective permittivity component of the metamaterial cladding. In this regime, the surface plasmon polaritons of each cladding layer are strongly coupled, and the propagation length can be on the order of a millimeter.

Highlights

Photonic integrated circuits can provide higher bandwidth and smaller power consumption in comparison to their electronic counterparts [1]
We study plasmonic waveguides with dielectric cores and hyperbolic multilayer claddings
We show that the proposed structures support long-range surface plasmon modes, which exist when the permittivity of the core matches the transverse effective permittivity component of the metamaterial cladding

Summary

Introduction

Photonic integrated circuits can provide higher bandwidth and smaller power consumption in comparison to their electronic counterparts [1]. We theoretically demonstrate a special regime of SPP propagation, which can be achieved only in the waveguides with HMM layers (one or two HMM-dielectric interfaces) provided that the transverse component of the HMM effective permittivity εyy matches the permittivity of dielectric εc. We studied SPPs at a single HMM-dielectric interface, and in particular, we analyze dependences of propagation length and penetration depth on the dielectric permittivity εc. For a single interface of dielectric and HMM layer [Fig. 2(a)], the complex propagation constant is defined as kz. For the mode to be confined to the HMM-dielectric interface, the y-component of the propagation constant should satisfy the conditions:. HMM cladding is achieved (often referred to as bulk plasmon-polaritons), which causes longrange propagation of the HIH waveguide mode [see Fig. 2(d)]

HIH plasmonic waveguide

Conclusion

Condition for SPP mode localization at the HMM-dielectric interface

Strong interaction of surface plasmon modes in HIH waveguide