Abstract

We report experimental excitation and characterization of surface plasmon modes in planar metal–insulator–metal (MIM) waveguides. Our approach is based on determining the width of the reflection angular spectrum in the attenuated total reflection (ATR) configuration. Owing to its transverse character, the ATR configuration provides a more straightforward and simpler way to determine the loss of plasmonic modes in MIM structures, compared to using tapered end couplers with multiple waveguide samples or scanning near-field optical microscopy. In this Letter, two waveguide structures with Au claddings and $50/200\mathrm{nm}$ ${\mathrm{SiO}}_2$ cores are investigated. The propagation lengths measured at $\lambda =1.55\mathrm{\mu m}$ are 5.7 and $18\mathrm{\mu m}$, respectively, in agreement with the theoretical predictions.

© 2010 Optical Society of America

Characterization of the loss of plasmonic modes in planar metal-insulator-metal waveguides by a coupling-simulation approach

Chien-I Lin and Thomas K. Gaylord
Appl. Opt. 49(6) 936-944 (2010)

Attenuated total reflection response to wavelength tuning of plasmon-induced transparency in a metal–insulator–metal structure

Kouki Matsunaga, Takeshi Watanabe, Yoichiro Neo, Takahiro Matsumoto, and Makoto Tomita
Opt. Lett. 41(22) 5274-5277 (2016)

Surface plasmon modes of finite, planar, metal-insulator-metal plasmonic waveguides

Jing Chen, Gennady A. Smolyakov, Steven R. J. Brueck, and Kevin J. Malloy
Opt. Express 16(19) 14902-14909 (2008)

Structurally-tolerant vertical directional coupling between metal-insulator-metal plasmonic waveguide and silicon dielectric waveguide

Qiang Li and Min Qiu
Opt. Express 18(15) 15531-15543 (2010)

Impedance calculation and equivalent circuits for metal–insulator–metal plasmonic waveguide geometries

Dongying Li and Er-Ping Li
Opt. Lett. 38(17) 3384-3386 (2013)