Superfocusing terahertz waves below λ/250 using plasmonic parallel-plate waveguides

We experimentally demonstrate complete two-dimensional (2-D) confinement of terahertz (THz) energy in finite-width parallel-plate waveguides, defying conventional wisdom in the century-old field of microwave waveguide technology. We find that the degree of energy confinement increases exponentially with decreasing plate separation. We propose that this 2-D confinement is mediated by the mutual coupling of plasmonic edge modes, analogous to that observed in slot waveguides at optical wavelengths. By adiabatically tapering the width and the separation, we focus THz waves down to a size of 10 mu m (approximate to lambda/260) by 18 mu m (approximate to lambda/145), which corresponds to a mode area of only 2.6 x 10(-5) lambda(2). (C) 2010 Optical Society of America