Broadband light coupling to dielectric slot waveguides with tapered plasmonic nanoantennas

Opt Lett. 2013 Nov 15;38(22):4853-6. doi: 10.1364/OL.38.004853.

Abstract

We propose and theoretically verify an efficient mechanism of broadband coupling between incident light and on-chip dielectric slot waveguide by employing a tapered plasmonic nanoantenna. The nanoantenna receives free space radiation and couples it to a dielectric slot waveguide with the efficiency of up to 20% in a broad spectral range, having a small footprint as compared with the currently used narrowband dielectric grating couplers. We argue that the frequency selective properties of such nanoantennas also allow for using them as ultrasmall on-chip multiplexer/demultiplexer devices.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Computer-Aided Design
  • Equipment Design
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Light
  • Nanotechnology / instrumentation*
  • Refractometry / instrumentation*
  • Scattering, Radiation
  • Surface Plasmon Resonance / instrumentation*
  • Transducers*