Surface plasmon TE and TM waves at the anisotropic film–metal interface

Abstract

Excitation of TE and TM surface plasmon waves at the interface between the thin anisotropic film and metal is shown to be possible in the Otto configuration with the anisotropic layer being thicker than the evanescent region. Total absorption occurs at specific wavelengths or incidence angles both for TE and TM waves. Polarization conversion at the resonance is shown to occur when both modes are excited in the anisotropic layer. Tuning the orientation of the dielectric tensor ellipsoid or its principal values allows tuning of the resonance location.