Wideband slow light based on plasmon-induced transparency at telecom frequency

Abstract

We propose and demonstrate a metal–insulator–metal (MIM) waveguide side coupled with a series of stubs to realize broadband slow surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) around the telecom wavelength 193.5THz. The obviously slow light effect results from the strong normal dispersion around the frequency of the plasmon-induced transparency. Theoretical calculations indicate that the plasmonic waveguide system of the length 11μm works on a broad bandwidth of 20THz. The group velocity of SPPs predicted by the improved transmission line theory is about 0.2c (c is light speed in vacuum), which is confirmed by the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) numerical simulation. The waveguide system for slow light effect has important potential application in optical delay lines.