Recent Progresses in Integrated Nanoplasmonic Devices Based on Propagating Surface Plasmon Polaritons

The propagating surface plasmons on Ag nanowires (NW) have been investigated for over 10 years and which were interpreted with basic modes combining and hybridisation. Since the high confinement of the electromagnetic energy, the Ag NW-based surface plasmonics have been considered as one of the most potential ways to construct next-generation devices working with the light to overcome the speed limit of electronics. A lot of basic plasmonic NW components have already been developed. In this review paper, we focus on NW plasmonic waveguides based on the principles of propagating plasmon, plasmonic components and devices. The fundamental mechanism, the excitation, the propagation and the emission are discussed in detail. Based on these properties, we introduced their applications in nanophotonic devices.