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arXiv · 1109.2032

Compact antenna for efficient and unidirectional launching and decoupling of surface plasmons

Alexandre Baron·Eloïse Devaux·Jean-Claude Rodier·Jean-Paul Hugonin·Emmanuel Rousseau·Cyriaque Genet·Thomas Ebbesen·Philippe Lalanne
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Abstract

Controlling the launching efficiencies and the directionality of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) and their decoupling to freely propagating light is a major goal for the development of plasmonic devices and systems. Here, we report on the design and experimental observation of a highly efficient unidirectional surface plasmon launcher composed of eleven subwavelength grooves, each with a distinct depth and width. Our observations show that, under normal illumination by a focused Gaussian beam, unidirectional SPP launching with an efficiency of at least 52% is achieved experimentally with a compact device of total length smaller than 8 \mu m. Reciprocally, we report that the same device can efficiently convert SPPs into a highly directive light beam emanating perpendicularly to the sample.

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Alexandre Baron, Eloïse Devaux, Jean-Claude Rodier, Jean-Paul Hugonin, Emmanuel Rousseau, Cyriaque Genet, Thomas Ebbesen, Philippe Lalanne. 2011-09-09. Compact antenna for efficient and unidirectional launching and decoupling of surface plasmons. https://doi.org/10.1021/nl202135w

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