Surface Plasmon Polaritons Research Articles

Negative group delay SSPP mode based on coupled periodic cells

To realize negative group delay (NGD) of spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SSPPs), two coupling strips are introduced within the U-shaped cell for SSPP waveguide. Furthermore, two such cells are coupled to form a double-structured NGD unit. At lower frequencies, the constructed unit can implement both TE and TM modes with the NGD feature, and the maximum NGD values of – 0.42 ns for TE mode is achieved at 1.83 GHz. Since the TM mode is alongside the stopband, a wide NGD band of 2.01–3.25 GHz is yielded, with a small NGD value. However, as this unit is applied to SSPP waveguides to compensate for positive delays, the measured NGD maximum is 2.81 ns at 1.93 GHz and 9.65 ns at 2.42 GHz, due to the influence of waveguide structure on the NGD unit. The proposed unit structure exhibits promising applications in delay equalization and dispersion compensation for microwave system.

Electromagnetic surface waves guided by the interface of a metal and a tightly interlaced matched ambidextrous bilayer

The existence and characteristics of electromagnetic surface waves (ESWs) whose propagation is guided by the planar interface of metal and a tightly interlaced matched ambidextrous bilayer (TIMAB) were theoretically investigated, a TIMAB being a periodic unidirectionally nonhomogeneous material whose unit cell consists of one period each of two structurally chiral materials that are identical except in structural handedness. Thus, the structural handedness flips in the center of the unit cell. A canonical boundary-value problem was formulated and a dispersion equation was solved, the ESWs being classified as surface-plasmon-polariton (SPP) waves. Flipping the structural handedness once in the unit cell can greatly enhance the number of possible SPP waves, one or more of which may be superluminal.

Tunable dual-band composite metasurface absorber in the mid-infrared region based on LSPs-SPPs interaction

Mid-infrared (MIR) region includes many important fingerprint signals about of particular chemical molecules and functional groups, which is an important band for compact optical sensing system. Controlling the localized surface plasmons (LSPs) and surface plasmon polariton (SPP) modes is an effective approach to achieving perfect absorption in plasmonic metasurfaces. In this work, we systematically investigate the interaction between LSP and SPP within a composite plasmonic metasurface absorber, as well as the impact of this interaction on its absorption characteristics. The absorber achieves absorptivity 99.2 % at 2.39 μm and 98.8 % at 3.61 μm. The detailed absorption mechanism and tunability of the absorber are discussed associated with a physical model based on quantum electron dynamics (QED) theory. Our analysis also explores the effect of incident angle, identifying a Rabi splitting at 40° and 3.61 μm due to the interaction between cavity modes and LSPs, while the absorption peak at 2.39 μm experiences a redshift with an increasing angle. These peaks show minimal dependence on the polarization angles of incident light. Furthermore, we investigate the impact of the SiO2 spacer's refractive index using an admittance model, observing a redshift in the absorption peaks with an increase in refractive index. Our findings not only introduce a metasurface absorber for the MIR spectrum, applicable in sensing and detection, but also establish a foundation for further research.

An X-band beam-scanning reflectarray antenna stimulated using a spoof surface plasmon polaritons based low profile endfire MIMO antenna

A single-layer, low-profile beam scanning reflectarray (RA) fed by a spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SSPPs) based endfire MIMO antenna is proposed in this manuscript. The RA is based on a variable elliptical-shaped unit cell designed at 10.4 GHz. The unit cell has a low insertion loss of 2.3 dB and a reflection phase of 315.2°in the working frequency band from 9.52–11.23 GHz. The SSPPs based endfire MIMO antenna is used to mitigate the aperture blockage, achieve high isolation between the feed elements, and accomplish the continuous one-dimensional (1-D) beam scanning of ± 8°from the broadside. The maximum realized gain of the proposed reflectarray in the broadside direction is 22.6 dBi with a 3-dB beamwidth of 5.7°. The minimal beam switching loss is in the other direction, and the realized gain is 22.4 dBi with a 3-dB beamwidth of 5.8°. The 3-dB gain bandwidth (GBW) of 9.7 % of the proposed RA benefits nano-satellite applications. The fabricated prototype measurements in an anechoic chamber environment verify the simulated results.

Engineering hyperbolicity and plasmon canalization for resonant plasmonic anisotropic nanopatch-based metasurfaces

Hyperbolic metasurfaces exhibit unique dispersion and polarization properties, making them a promising platform for a plethora of photonic applications. At the same time, the ability to engineer the hyperbolicity via the predefined spectral positions of the metasurface resonances remains a notable challenge. Here, we analyze the dependencies of the spectral positions of the resonances corresponding to the limits of the hyperbolic regime for the metasurfaces based on square arrays of the rectangular nanopatches. We show that the spectral difference between the resonances increases linearly with stretching of the nanopatch, but this dependence becomes quadratic when the length of the stretched nanopatch exceeds 85% of the lattice constant, indicating the regime of extreme anisotropy. Finally, we demonstrate the characteristic feature of the engineered resonances by showing the canalization (divergenceless propagation) of the surface plasmon-polariton along the anisotropic nanopatch-based metasurface in the vicinity of the resonance. The results obtained may be used for the engineering of the anisotropic nanoparticle-based metasurfaces for a plethora of photonic applications.

A Highly Sensitive Plasmonic Graphene-Based Structure for Deoxyribonucleic Acid Detection

In this study, a Kretschmann structure with a hybrid layer of graphene–WS2 is designed to develop a sensitive biosensor for deoxyribonucleic acid detection. The biosensor incorporates a 45 nm gold layer as the active layer and a thin film of chrome as the adhesive layer. Through the optimization of the graphene and WS2 layers, combined with the implementation of a silicon layer, we can enhance the nano-sensor’s sensitivity. The thin silicon layer acts as a protective barrier for the metal, while also increasing the volume of interaction. Consequently, by adjusting the thickness of the active metal and adding a silicon layer, we achieve higher sensitivity and a lower full width at half maximum, leading to sensitivity of 333.33°/RIU. The designed structure is analyzed using numerical techniques and the finite difference time domain method, allowing us to obtain the optical characteristics of the surface plasmon polariton sensor. Various parameters are calculated and evaluated to determine the optimal conditions for the sensor. Furthermore, the total size of the sensor is 2.228 µm2.

Sensing Based on Plasmon-Induced Transparency in H-Shaped Graphene-Based Metamaterials.

Graphene can support surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) in the terahertz band, and graphene SPP sensors are widely used in the field of terahertz micro- and nano-optical devices. In this paper, we propose an H-shaped graphene metasurface and investigate the plasmon-induced transparency (PIT) phenomenon in the proposed structure using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. Our results show that the Fermi energy levels, as well as certain shape parameters, can effectively modulate the PIT phenomenon in the proposed structure. Interestingly, changing some of these shape parameters can excite two dips into three. In terms of sensing performance, the maximum values of sensitivity and figure of merit (FOM) are 1.4028 THz/RIU and 17.97, respectively. These results offer valuable guidance for the use of terahertz optical graphene SPP sensors.

Directional surface plasmon polariton scattering using single magnetic nanoparticles.

Directional surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are expected to promote the energy efficiency of plasmonic devices, via limiting the energy in a given spatial domain. The directional scattering of dielectric nanoparticles induced by the interference between electric and magnetic responses presents a potential candidate for directional SPPs. Magnetic nanoparticles can introduce permeability as an extra manipulation, whose directional scattered SPPs have not been investigated yet. In this work, we demonstrated the directional scattered SPPs by using single magnetic nanoparticles via simulation and experiment. By increasing the permeability and particle size, the high-order TEM modes are excited inside the particle and induce more forward directional SPPs. It indicated that the particle size manifests larger tuning range compared with the permeability. Experimentally, the maximum forward-to-backward (F-to-B) SPP scattering intensity ratio of 118.52:1 is visualized by using a single 1 μm Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticle. The directional scattered SPPs of magnetic nanoparticles are hopeful to improve the efficiency of plasmonic devices and pave the way for plasmonic circuits on-chip.

Inverse design for laser-compatible infrared camouflage metasurface enabled by physics-driven neural network and genetic algorithm

Metasurface-based multi-band camouflage holds significant value in both military and civilian applications due to its superior performance and structural simplicity. Combining a physics-driven neural network (PNN) and genetic algorithm (GA), we designed the AZO-Ge disk metasurface capable of achieving 1.06 μm laser stealth, mid-infrared thermal camouflage and efficient thermal management. In contrast to conventional spectra prediction neural networks, the PNN adopts a data dimensionality reduction prediction paradigm, resulting in enhanced accuracy and accelerated convergence. The combination of PNN and GA in the inverse design effectively addresses the prevalent “one-to-many" and single-solution challenges encountered in tandem neural networks. Such data-driven approach makes metasurface design faster and more efficient. Finally, four groups of metasurface geometric parameters were designed by the PNN-GA framework. The designed metasurfaces exhibit low average emissivities (<0.3 and < 0.2, respectively) in the two atmospheric windows (3∼5 μm and 8∼14 μm), high average emissivity (>0.75) in the non-atmospheric window (5∼8 μm) and high absorptivity (>0.8) at 1.06 μm. We also demonstrate that these spectral properties are insensitive to the incident angles and polarizations. In addition, the electric field intensity distribution plots of the cross sections reveal that surface plasmon polariton (SPP) predominantly contributes to the high emission in the non-atmospheric window band, while the high absorptivity at 1.06 μm is attributed to the resonance and the intrinsic absorption of the Ge material. The designed metasurface with its simple structure suggests the potential for low-cost and large-scale fabrication in the future. Meanwhile, the combination of machine learning and evolutionary algorithms is a pioneering work in metasurface design and we believe our work will provide guidelines for the multi-solution design of complex metasurfaces.

Terahertz dual-band bandpass filter based on spoof surface plasmon polaritons with wide upper stopband suppression

In this paper, a terahertz (THz) dual-band bandpass filter based on spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SSPPs) with wide upper stopband suppression is proposed. The filter utilizes two types of SSPP unit cells loaded on a double-sided quasi-SSPPs transmission line to achieve dual-band filtering responses and wide upper stopband suppression simultaneously. The performance and bandwidth of the filter's passbands can be adjusted by modifying the SSPP unit cells within the dual-band filtering part. The detailed design method is provided to enhance understanding of the operating principle of the presented filter. The simulation results of the designed THz filter demonstrate its excellent dual-band filtering performance. It features a wide stopband spanning from 0.91 to 1.45 THz with |S21| &lt; -35 dB. To validate the proposed approach, a microwave filter with a similar design is implemented. Finally, the simulated and measured S-parameter responses of the filter are provided for comparison and evaluation.

Quantitative measurement of spatial distribution of effective refractive index induced by local electron concentration at a nano slit

Abstract Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) have found their key applications in high-sensitivity biomolecular detection and integrated photonic devices for optical communication via light manipulation at nanostructures. Despite their broad utility, SPPs are known to be accompanied by other complex near-field propagation modes, such as quasi-cylindrical waves (QCWs) and composite diffracted evanescent waves (CDEWs), whose electromagnetic and quantum propagation effects have not been comprehensively understood especially regarding their mutual interaction with SPPs. In this study, we addressed this complexity by employing a nano groove structure and a high-stability broadband femtosecond laser as a light source, the spatial phase distribution around the nano slit edge was measured with relative stability of a 4.6 × 10−11 at an averaging time of 0.01 s. Through this spatial phase spectrum, we precisely measured the nonlinear distribution of effective refractive index changes with an amplitude of 10−2 refractive index units at the edge of the nano slit–groove structure. These results reveal that the near-field effects on local electron concentration induced by nanostructure’s discontinuity can be quantitatively measured, which can contribute to a deeper understanding of SPP phenomena in nanostructures for the optimal design and utilization of the SPP effects in diverse nano-plasmonic applications.

A Multi-Parameter Tunable and Compact Plasmon Modulator in the Near-Infrared Spectrum

To keep pace with the demands of modern photonic integration technology, the electro-optic modulator should feature multi-parameter tunable components and a compact size. Here, we propose a hybrid structure that can modulate the multi-parameters of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) simultaneously with a compact size by controlling the electron concentration of indium tin oxide (ITO) in the near-infrared spectrum. The length, width and height of the device are only 15 μm, 5 μm and 9 μm, respectively. The numerical results show that when the electron concentration in ITO changes from 7.5 × 1026 m−3 to 9.5 × 1026 m−3, the variation in amplitude, wavelength and phase are 49%, 300 nm and 347°, respectively. The demonstrated structure paves a new way for multi-parameter modulation and the realization of ultracompact modulators.

Power-modulated reconfigurable nonlinear plasmonic devices without DC power supply and feed circuit

High-power electromagnetic (EM) waves can directly modulate the parameters of nonlinear varactor diodes through the rectification and Kerr effects without relying on external sources. Based on this principle, we propose a power-modulated reconfigurable nonlinear device based on spoof surface plasmon polariton (SSPP) waveguide loaded by varactor diodes, without applying DC power supply or feed circuit. Increasing the input power level reduces the effective capacitance of the varactor diode, leading to a blueshift in the cutoff frequency of the SSPP waveguide. This feature can be employed to realize the switching on/off of the input signal depending on the signal power. On the other hand, the transmission state of a low-power signal can be controlled by inputting another independent high-power EM wave simultaneously. Increasing the power of the control wave will enable the low-power signal within a wider bandwidth switched from off to on states. Experimental results are presented to show the excellent performance of the power-modulated reconfigurable SSPP device. This method can reduce the system complexity and provide inspiration for reconfigurable all-passive multifunctional devices and systems.

Highly Sensitive and Tunable Absorption-Induced Transparency for Terahertz Fingerprint Sensing With Spoof Surface Plasmon Polaritons

Highly Sensitive and Tunable Absorption-Induced Transparency for Terahertz Fingerprint Sensing With Spoof Surface Plasmon Polaritons

Accurate Dispersion Extracting and Designing Method for Spoof Surface Plasmon Polaritons Leaky-Wave Antennas Based on Short and Open Calibration

Accurate Dispersion Extracting and Designing Method for Spoof Surface Plasmon Polaritons Leaky-Wave Antennas Based on Short and Open Calibration

In-Plane Radiation of Surface Plasmon Polaritons Excited by Free Electrons.

Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) have become a research hotspot due to their high intensity and subwavelength localization. Through free-electron excitation, a portion of the momentum of moving electrons can be converted into SPPs. Converting highly localized SPPs into a radiated field is an approach with the potential to aid in the development of a light radiation source. Reducing losses of SPPs is currently a critical challenge that needs to be addressed. The lifetime of SPPs in metal films is longer than that in metal blocks. Traditional optical gratings can transform SPPs into radiation to avoid the decay of SPPs in metal; however, they are created by etching metal films, so they tend to alter the dispersion characteristics of these films and will emit radiation in the direction perpendicular to the metal surface. This paper proposes an approach to converting the SPPs of a metal film excited by free electrons into a radiation field via lateral grating and obtaining in-plane radiation. We investigate the properties of SPP lateral radiation. The study of lateral radiation from metal films holds significant importance for SPP radiation sources and SPP on-chip circuit development.

Suppressing the radiation loss by hybrid Tamm-surface plasmon BIC modes

Tamm plasmon polaritons (TPPs), localized near the boundary of a dielectric Bragg reflector (DBR) and a thin metal film, have attracted much attention for the lower ohm loss and flexible excitation. However, the radiation loss resulting from the direct coupling to the surroundings hinders their applications. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate a new type of hybrid plasmonic quasi-bound state in the continuum (BIC) in a Tamm-surface plasmon polariton system to suppress the radiation loss. Leveraging the scattering of the periodic metal array, the TPP interacts with the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) mode and form a Friedrich-Wintgen type quasi-BIC state that originated from the interference of two surface waves with different natures. Through angle resolved reflectance spectrum measurement, the hybrid plasmonic quasi-BIC was observed in the experiment. Our work proposes a new method to design a high Q mode in plasmonic systems, and thus holds promise for applications in the field of light matter interactions.

Multiple hybrid Spp-Tamm modes in Ag grating/DBR microcavity

High confinement of surface plasmon polariton (SPP) have important applications in many aspects. However, access to high-Q resonant modes in metal cavity have many difficulties because of high Ohmic losses, large radiative losses and limited cavity designs. The Tamm mode is another surface plasmonic mode which has a high Q value but poor confinement. Here, we present a grating Tamm structure in which both nonradiative and radiative damping are suppressed, enabling excitation of high-Q and high confinement of hybrid SPP-Tamm mode. Theoretical analysis and simulations show that the proposed structure supports six resonance modes. By manipulating the geometric parameters of the metal grating, the multiple hybrid SPP-Tamm resonances could be well-defined and tuned with wavelength tuning sensitivity up to 1 nm. These results are promising for potential applications such as multiplexing, multi-frequency sensing and imaging.

Tailored plasmon polariton landscape in graphene/boron nitride patterned heterostructures

Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), which are electromagnetic modes representing collective oscillations of charge density coupled with photons, have been extensively studied in graphene. This has provided a solid foundation for understanding SPPs in 2D materials. However, the emergence of wafer-transfer techniques has led to the creation of various quasi-2D van der Waals heterostructures, highlighting certain gaps in our understanding of their optical properties in relation to SPPs. To address this, we analyzed electromagnetic modes in graphene/hexagonal-boron-nitride/graphene heterostructures on a dielectric Al2O3 substrate using the full ab initio RPA optical conductivity tensor. Our theoretical model was validated through comparison with recent experiments measuring evanescent in-phase Dirac and out-of-phase acoustic SPP branches. Furthermore, we investigate how the number of plasmon branches and their dispersion are sensitive to variables such as layer count and charge doping. Notably, we demonstrate that patterning of the topmost graphene into nanoribbons provides efficient Umklapp scattering of the bottommost Dirac plasmon polariton (DP) into the radiative region, resulting in the conversion of the DP into a robust infrared-active plasmon. Additionally, we show that the optical activity of the DP and its hybridization with inherent plasmon resonances in graphene nanoribbons are highly sensitive to the doping of both the topmost and bottommost graphene layers. By elucidating these optical characteristics, we aspire to catalyze further advancements and create new opportunities for innovative applications in photonics and optoelectronic integration.

Simulation Study of Localized, Multi-Directional Continuous Dynamic Tailoring for Optical Skyrmions

The topological properties of optical skyrmions have enormous application value in fields such as optical communication and polarization sensing. At present, research on optical skyrmions focuses primarily on the topological principles of skyrmions and their applications. Nonetheless, extant research devoted to skyrmion-array manipulation remains meager. The sole manipulation scheme has a limited effect on the movement direction of the whole skyrmion array. Based on the interference principle of the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) wave, we propose an upgraded scheme for the tailoring of electric-field optical skyrmions. A distributed Gaussian-focused spots array is deployed. Unlike the existing manipulation, we customize the phase of the light source to be more flexible, and we have discovered optical-skyrmion tailoring channels and shaping channels. Specifically, we move the skyrmions within the channel in both directions and manipulate the shape of the topological domain walls to achieve customized transformation. This work will evolve towards a more flexible regulatory plan for tailoring optical-skyrmion arrays, and this is of great significance for research in fields such as optical storage and super-resolution microimaging.