Plasmonic band gap cavities on biharmonic gratings

Abstract

In this paper, we have experimentally demonstrated the formation of plasmonic band gap cavities in infrared and visible wavelength range. The cavity structure is based on a biharmonic metallic grating with selective high dielectric loading. A uniform metallic grating structure enables strong surface plasmon polariton (SPP) excitation and a superimposed second harmonic component forms a band gap for the propagating SPPs. We show that a high dielectric superstructure can dramatically perturb the optical properties of SPPs and enables the control of the plasmonic band gap structure. Selective patterning of the high index superstructure results in an index contrast in and outside the patterned region that forms a cavity. This allows us to excite the SPPs that localize inside the cavity at specific wavelengths, satisfying the cavity resonance condition. Experimentally, we observe the formation of a localized state in the band gap and measure the dispersion diagram. Quality factors as high as 37 have been observed in the infrared wavelength. The simplicity of the fabrication and the method of testing make this approach attractive for applications requiring localization of propagating SPPs.