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Evaluating Plasmonic Transport in Current-carrying Silver Nanowires
Published on: December 11, 2013
Plasmonic mediated interactions between waveguides and nanostructured metal surfaces
1Tyndall National Institute, Lee Maltings, Prospect Row, Cork, Ireland. pierpaolo.porta@tyndall.ie
Optics Express
|October 15, 2008
Summary
We observed a resonant decrease in light reflectivity from optical waveguides interacting with gold nanostructures. This phenomenon arises from a novel coupled waveguide-plasmonic surface mode, not simple surface roughness.
Area of Science:
- * Photonics and Plasmonics
- * Optical Engineering
- * Materials Science
Background:
- * Optical waveguides confine and guide light.
- * Plasmonic nanostructures interact strongly with light.
- * Coupling light into waveguides typically requires precise alignment.
Purpose of the Study:
- * To investigate optical reflectance properties of TE mode waveguides on nanostructured gold.
- * To identify the mechanism behind angle-dependent resonant reflectivity changes.
- * To model the observed optical phenomena.
Main Methods:
- * Measurement of polarization-resolved, angular-dependent optical reflectance.
- * Fabrication of single TE mode optical waveguides in contact with nanostructured gold surfaces.
- * Development of a coupled mode theory model.
Main Results:
- * A significant angle-dependent resonant decrease in TE polarized surface reflectivity was measured.
- * The observed resonance could not be attributed to waveguide coupling via surface roughness.
- * Evidence for the excitation of a coupled waveguide-plasmonic surface mode was found.
Conclusions:
- * The interaction between metal nanostructures and waveguides creates a coupled waveguide-plasmonic surface mode.
- * This coupled mode is responsible for the observed resonant optical reflectance.
- * Coupled mode theory effectively explains the experimental data.
