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Published November 10, 2008 | Published
Journal Article Open

Are negative index materials achievable with surface plasmon waveguides? A case study of three plasmonic geometries

Abstract

We present a theoretical analysis of planar plasmonic waveguides that support propagation of positive and negative index modes. Particular attention is given to the modes sustained by metal-insulator-metal (MIM), insulator-metal-insulator (IMI), and insulator-insulator-metal (IIM) geometries at visible and near-infrared frequencies. We find that all three plasmonic structures are characterized by negative indices over a finite range of visible frequencies, with figures of merit approaching 20. Moreover, using finite-difference time-domain simulations, we demonstrate that visible-wavelength light propagating from free space into these waveguides can exhibit negative refraction. Refractive index and figure-ofmerit calculations are presented for Ag/GaP and Ag/Si3N_4 - based structures with waveguide core dimensions ranging from 5 to 50 nm and excitation wavelengths ranging from 350 nm to 850 nm. Our results provide the design criteria for realization of broadband, visible-frequency negative index materials and transformation-based optical elements for two-dimensional guided waves. These geometries can serve as basic elements of threedimensional negative-index metamaterials.

Additional Information

© 2008 OSA. Received 2 Oct 2008; revised 30 Oct 2008; accepted 31 Oct 2008; published 3 Nov 2008. The authors would like to thank A. F. Koenderink, L. Sweatlock, S. Burgos, H. J. Lezec, and L. (Kobas) Kuipers for engaging discussions related to this research. Work at Caltech is financially supported by the Department of Energy under grant DOE DE-FG02-07ER46405 and used facilities supported by the Center for Science and Engineering of Materials, an NSF MRSEC. Work at AMOLF is part of the Joint Solar Programme (JSP) of the Stichting voor Fundamenteel Onderzoek der Materie (FOM), which is financially supported by the Nederlandse organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek (NWO). The JSP is co-financed by gebied Chemische Wetenschappen of NWO and Stichting Shell Research. JAD gratefully acknowledges fellowship support from the National Science Foundation. OCIS Codes: (220.0220) Optical design and fabrication : Optical design and fabrication; (240.6680) Optics at surfaces : Surface plasmons; (160.3918) Materials : Metamaterials

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