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Updated: Jun 8, 2026
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Determination of the Excitation and Coupling Rates Between Light Emitters and Surface Plasmon Polaritons
Published on: July 21, 2018
High-throughput diffraction-assisted surface-plasmon-polariton coupling by a super-wavelength slit.
M W Maqsood1, R Mehfuz, K J Chau
1School of Engineering, University of British Columbia 3333 University Way, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada.
Optics Express
|October 14, 2010
Summary
We developed a new method for high surface plasmon polariton (SPP) coupling efficiency using a super-wavelength slit. This approach significantly boosts SPP throughput compared to sub-wavelength designs.
Area of Science:
- Photonics and Plasmonics
- Nanophotonics
- Waveguide Engineering
Background:
- Efficient coupling of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) is crucial for nanophotonic devices.
- Traditional methods often use sub-wavelength structures, limiting throughput and efficiency.
- Higher-order waveguide modes in slits have not been explored for SPP coupling.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and investigate a novel SPP coupling scheme.
- To achieve high SPP throughput and coupling efficiency.
- To explore the use of super-wavelength slits and higher-order waveguide modes.
Main Methods:
- Numerical simulations of visible light propagation through slits of varying widths and dielectric environments.
- Engineering the dispersive properties of super-wavelength slits to support low-loss higher-order modes.
- Achieving wavevector matching between the higher-order slit mode and the SPP mode.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated an SPP coupling scheme based on super-wavelength slits.
- Achieved an order-of-magnitude greater SPP throughput compared to sub-wavelength slits.
- Obtained a peak SPP coupling efficiency of approximately 68% under optimal conditions.
Conclusions:
- The proposed scheme offers a significant advancement in SPP coupling.
- Super-wavelength slits supporting engineered higher-order modes are effective for efficient SPP excitation.
- This work represents the first study on coupling higher-order modes in super-wavelength slits to SPPs.
