Highly efficient tunable and localized on-chip electrical plasmon source using protruded metal-insulator-metal...

Area of Science:

• Photonics and Nanotechnology
• Optoelectronics
• Materials Science

Background:

• Surface plasmon-polaritons (SPPs) are crucial for nanoscale light manipulation.
• Existing methods for SPP generation often lack efficiency, tunability, or integration capabilities.
• Metal-insulator-metal (MIM) structures offer waveguiding but require efficient excitation mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and analyze a novel protruded metal-insulator-metal (pMIM) structure for efficient, tunable, and localized SPP generation.
• To investigate the plasmon excitation and propagation characteristics of the pMIM structure.
• To demonstrate the potential of pMIM for on-chip optoelectronic applications.

Main Methods:

• Theoretical proposal of a protruded metal-insulator-metal (pMIM) structure.
• Utilizing a nanometer gap for localized tunneling current generation via low voltage bias.
• Employing eigenmode and numerical analyses to study power transfer and mode characteristics.
• Benchmarking performance against standard MIM structures.

Main Results:

• The pMIM structure significantly enhances power transfer from tunneling current to SPP excitation compared to standard MIM.
• The structure supports single, dual, and multi-mode operations depending on applied voltage bias.
• Single-mode operation achieves highly efficient excitation of long-traveling SPPs (up to 30 µm).

Conclusions:

• The pMIM structure provides a compact, efficient, and tunable source for propagating SPPs.
• Electrical excitation of SPPs using pMIM is feasible, paving the way for on-chip integration.
• This technology holds promise for advancing nanoscale optoelectronic circuits and on-chip data communication.