Metal-insulator-metal Plasmonic Waveguide Research Articles

Generation of Surface Plasmon Polariton Using Plasmonic Resonant Cavity Based on Microdisk Laser

We study the generation of surface plasmon polariton and its extraction efficiency from a microdisk-based plasmonic source to a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) waveguide. The field distribution is no longer a whispering gallery mode commonly found in microdisk lasers but hybridized with surface plasmon polariton. We observe the steady-state intensity of the surface plasmon polariton mode inside the plasmonic microdisk structure at 1.47- μm wavelength. This field intensity is extracted efficiently to a MIM plasmonic waveguide through a nanometer gap. The extraction efficiency reaches 60%.

Design of Nanoring Resonators Made of Metal-insulator-metal Nanostrip Waveguides

We report on the design of nanoring resonators made of metal-insulator-metal (MIM) nanostrip waveguides. The characteristics of the lightwave propagation through the silver-based MIM plasmonic waveguides with an air superstrate are examined. The effective refractive indices, the propagation losses, the bending losses, and the beat lengths are analyzed by using 2D and 3D finite element methods (FEMs). For the optimization of the nanoring resonators, we examined the resonant mode power and the Q factor with respect to the width of the MIM nanostrip and the separation between the ring resonator and the straight waveguide. We obtained an optimized nanoring resonator that had submicron diameters (R = 399 nm) and 3-order resonances at a 1550-nm wavelength. These nanoring resonators will play an important role as the basic building blocks for the realization of nanoscale photonic integrated circuits.

Integration of plasmonics into nanoelectronic circuits

Abstract Plasmonic waveguides are proposed to transmit information optically from one electronic component to another in integrated nanoelectronic circuits. A metal–insulator–metal (MIM) plasmonic waveguide, rather than a traditional dielectric waveguide or an electric wire, is used for data transmission. The MIM plasmonic waveguide confines plasmonic (electromagnetic) waves to a dielectric slot with a cross-section of 50 nm×50 nm, and propagates them close to the speed of light. Two nanorods that form a nanoantenna are employed to receive the optical power from the waveguide, and localize as well as concentrate the received power in the proximity around the two nanorods. The localized optical power is converted to electric signals by a nanoscale plasmonics-to-electronics converter, which has a nanosized active volume and a bandwidth of up to 1 THz. Both the plasmonic waveguide and the converter have nanoscale dimensions comparable to those of modern nanoelectronic counterparts. The proposed method could be used to improve the performance of existing nanoelectronic systems by exploiting the strength of optics.