Semiconductor surface plasmon sources

Phys Rev Lett. 2010 Jun 4;104(22):226806. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.226806. Epub 2010 Jun 4.

Abstract

Surface-plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are propagating electromagnetic modes bound at a metal-dielectric interface. We report on electrical generation of SPPs by reproducing the analogue in the near field of the slit-doublet experiment, in a device which includes all the building blocks required for a fully integrated plasmonic active source: an electrical generator of SPPs, a coupler, and a passive metallic waveguide. SPPs are generated upon injection of electrical current, and they are then launched at the edges of a passive metallic strip. The interference fringes arising from the plasmonic standing wave on the surface of the metallic strip are unambiguously detected with apertureless near-field scanning optical microscopy.