0000000000115492
AUTHOR
Anatoly V. Zayats
Analysis of the Bloch mode spectra of surface polaritonic crystals in the weak and strong coupling regimes: grating-enhanced transmission at oblique incidence and suppression of SPP radiative losses
The Bloch mode spectrum of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) on a finite thickness metal film has been analyzed in the regimes of weak and strong coupling between SPP modes on the opposite film interfaces. The SPP mode dispersion and associated field distributions have been studied. The results have been applied to the description of the light transmission through thick and thin periodically structured metal films at oblique incidence. In contrast to normal incidence, all SPP Bloch modes on a grating structure participate in the resonant photon tunnelling leading to the transmission enhancement. However, at the angle of incidence corresponding to the crossing of different symmetry film SPP …
Ridge-enhanced optical transmission through a continuous metal film
Optical transmission through a continuous (without holes) metal film with a periodic structure of metal or dielectric ridges on one or both interfaces was numerically studied. The dependencies of the transmission on the ridge width and height as well as the ridge arrangements on the opposite interfaces were investigated in weak- and strong-coupling regimes. The transmission enhancement was shown to depend on the relative position of the ridge gratings on the opposite interfaces of a film, confirming the role of resonant tunneling processes involving states of the surface polariton Bloch modes.
Bend- and splitting loss of dielectric-loaded surface plasmon-polariton waveguides.
International audience; The design, fabrication, characterization, and modeling of basic building blocks of plasmonic circuitry based on dielectric- loaded surface polariton waveguides, such as bends, splitters, and Mach- Zehnder interferometers are presented. The plasmonic components are realized by depositing subwavelength dielectric ridges on a smooth gold film using mass-production- compatible UV-photolithography. The near-field characterization at telecommunication wavelengths shows the strong mode confinement and low radiation and bend losses. The performance of the devices is found in good agreement with results obtained by full vectorial three-dimensional finite element simulations.…
Local excitation of surface plasmon polaritons at discontinuities of a metal film: Theoretical analysis and optical near-field measurements
Nonresonant excitation of surface plasmon polaritons at discontinuities of a gold film is numerically studied and experimentally observed with scanning near-field optical microscopy. It is shown that surface polaritons can be effectively launched at the edges of a metal film illuminated at an angle of incidence greater than the resonant angle of surface polariton excitation. The electromagnetic near-field distribution over a thin metal film exhibits significantly different features under resonant and nonresonant excitations due to different surface polariton excitation mechanisms. In the latter case the field distribution is determined by the interference of the excitation light and surface…
Numerical simulations of photon scanning tunneling microscopy: role of a probe tip geometry in image formation
Abstract Numerical simulations of two-dimensional probe–object system emulating a photon scanning tunnelling microscope are presented. R -matrix propagation algorithm incorporated into the differential method was used to achieve an extended capability to rigorously model a realistic system consisting of both a probe and a sample. Influence of the probe tip parameters on image formation in scanning near-field microscopy has been investigated. Coupling of the near-field to a single-mode probe and formation of a guided fundamental mode in a probe were investigated for various probe widths and lengths. The influence of the probe taper shape and apex size on near-field images was studied for sin…
Wavelength-selective directional coupling with dielectric-loaded plasmonic waveguides
International audience; We consider wavelength-selective splitting of radiation using directional couplers (DCs) formed by dielectric-loaded surface-plasmon-polariton waveguides (DLSPPWs). The DCs were fabricated by depositing subwavelength-sized polymer ridges on a gold film using large-scale UV photolithography and characterized at telecommunications wavelengths with near-field microscopy. We demonstrate a DLSPPW-based 45-mu m-long DC comprising 3 mu m offset S bends and 25-mu m-long parallel waveguides that changes from the "through" state at 1500 nm to 3 dB splitting at 1600 nm, and show that a 50.5-mu m-long DC should enable complete separation of the radiation channels at 1400 and 162…
Efficient excitation of dielectric-loaded surface plasmon-polariton waveguide modes at telecommunication wavelengths
International audience; The excitation of surface plasmon-polariton (SPP) waveguide modes in subwavelength dielectric ridges deposited on a thin gold film has been characterized and optimized at telecommunication wavelengths. The experimental data on the electromagnetic mode structure obtained using scanning near-field optical microscopy have been directly compared to full vectorial three-dimensional finite element method simulations. Two excitation geometries have been investigated where SPPs are excited outside or inside the dielectric tapered region adjoint to the waveguide. The dependence of the efficiency of the SPP guided mode excitation on the taper opening angle has been measured an…
How light gets through periodically nanostructured metal films: a role of surface polaritonic crystals
The physical origin of the enhanced optical transmission of periodically structured films related to surface plasmon polaritons is discussed from first principles. The enhancement of transmission through smooth, randomly rough and periodically nanostructured films is considered. Analysis shows that any metal (or dielectric) nanostructured film can exhibit enhanced transmission in certain spectral ranges corresponding to surface plasmon (or phonon) polariton Bloch mode states on a periodic structure. Resonant tunnelling via these states is responsible for the transmission enhancement. The properties of surface polaritonic crystals are analogous to those of photonic crystals and can find nume…
Suppression of radiative losses of surface polaritons on nanostructured thin metal films
The strong electromagnetic coupling between surface plasmon polariton modes on opposite interfaces of a finite thickness periodically nanostructured metal film has been studied. Surface polariton dispersion and associated electromagnetic field distributions have been analyzed. It was shown that at a frequency that corresponds to the crossing of film Bloch modes of different symmetries, the radiative losses of surface polaritons that are related to the polaritons' coupling to light during propagation on the structured surface are suppressed.
Non-Linear Optical Properties of Hybridized Surface Plasmon Polaritonic Crystals: Observation of Optical Bistability
Summary form only given. The use of surface plasmons (SP) is recognized as being central to the development of nanoscale assemblies of photonic and opto-electronic devices. This is motivated by the spatially confined nature of these electromagnetic waves as well as their resonant behavior. Amongst plasmonic supporting structures, surface plasmonic crystals (SPCs) draw particular interest because of their tailored optical properties. A geometry common to SPCs consists in a periodic arrangement of holes or slits in a metal film. Their complex optical response is then governed by coherent interactions between Bloch modes at the film's interfaces and modes supported by the holes or slits. These…
All-optical and electro-optical active plasmonic telecom components
Active plasmonics is an attractive emerging field in which the ability to control the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) propagation finds many applications such as realization of fully functional integrated photonic circuitry. We demonstrate both numerically and experimentally switching of the SPP transmission based on two different approaches namely the all-optical and electro-optical at telecom wavelengths. The plasmonic component consists of a compact and efficient SPP switch utilizing highly sensitive ring resonator which has high sensitivity to the refractive index changes. Fabrication was done via e-beam lithography utilizing advanced proximity corrections. The compenents were character…
Near-Field Distribution of Optical Transmission of Periodic Subwavelength Holes in a Metal Film
Recent experimental discovery of the enhanced optical transmission through metal films with periodic subwavelength holes has given rise to a considerable interest in the optical properties of such structures due to their possible numerous applications in optics and optoelectronics as well as rich physics behind the phenomenon of the transmission enhancement [1–4]. The transmission of a subwavelength aperture is very low and proportional to the fourth power of the ratio of its diameter and light wavelength. However, if a metal film is perforated with a periodic array of such holes, the optical transmission can be significantly enhanced [1]. Being normalized to the total area of the illuminat…