Metal-dielectric metamaterials for guided wave silicon photonics

The aim of the present paper is to investigate the potential of metallic metamaterials for building optical functions in guided wave optics at 1.5 µm. A significant part of this work is focused on the optimization of the refractive index variation associated with localized plasmon resonances. The minimization of metal related losses is specifically addressed as well as the engineering of the resonance frequency of the localized plasmons. Our numerical modeling results show that a periodic chain of gold cut wires placed on the top of a 100 nm silicon waveguide makes it possible to achieve a significant index variation in the vicinity of the metamaterial resonance and serve as building blocks for implementing optical functions. The considered solutions are compatible with current nano-fabrication technologies.