Surface plasmon polariton amplification upon electrical injection in highly integrated plasmonic circuits.

Fedyanin, Dmitry Yu; Krasavin, Alexey V; Arsenin, Aleksey V; Zayats, Anatoly V · Nano Lett · 2012

basic_science · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

We propose a very efficient approach for amplification of surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) in a nanoscale waveguiding geometry with strong (∼λ/10) mode confinement. The implemented scheme of electric pumping is based on a single-heterostructure Schottky-barrier diode and has been numerically shown to ensure full compensation of the SPP propagation losses at wavelengths around 3 μm and, moreover, to provide net SPP gain. The presented concept creates the backbone for the implementation of highly integrated large-scale hybrid electronic-plasmonic circuits operating at extremely high speeds and opens the prospects for the realization of integrated coherent SPP sources.