Active unidirectional propagation of surface plasmons at subwavelength slits

Abstract

Highly efficient, active and compact, unidirectional surface plasmon (SP) propagator composed of double subwavelength slits; filled with organic electro-optic (EO) material is proposed and investigated. By selecting appropriate structure parameters, obtained by solving phase relations between slits, the relative phase of SP generated at the slit exit aperture can be tailored. Simulation results show under normal illumination and external voltage of 8.7 V, SP launching efficiency of 55% and unidirectional SP extinction ratio about 47dB at wavelength of 632.8 nm is achieved. The power consumption of the structure is on the order of 9 fJ/bit which meet the power consumption limitation for optical devices. Moreover, the structure is very compact with effective total length of 1.2 µm and thickness of 0.6 µm.