Bend- and splitting loss of dielectric-loaded surface plasmon-polariton waveguides

The design, fabrication, characterization, and modeling of basic building blocks of plasmonic circuitry based on dielectric- loaded surface polariton waveguides, such as bends, splitters, and Mach- Zehnder interferometers are presented. The plasmonic components are realized by depositing subwavelength dielectric ridges on a smooth gold film using mass-production- compatible UV-photolithography. The near-field characterization at telecommunication wavelengths shows the strong mode confinement and low radiation and bend losses. The performance of the devices is found in good agreement with results obtained by full vectorial three-dimensional finite element simulations. (c) 2008 Optical Society of America.