Thermo-optic control of dielectric-loaded plasmonic waveguide components

We report preliminary results on the development of compact (length < 100 mu m) fiber-coupled dielectric-loaded plasmonic waveguide components, including Mach-Zehnder interferometers (MZIs), waveguide-ring resonators (WRRs) and directional couplers (DCs), whose operation at telecom wavelengths is controlled via the thermo-optic effect by electrically heating the gold stripes of dielectric-loaded plasmonic waveguides. Strong output modulation (> 20%) is demonstrated with MZI-and WRR-based components, and efficient (similar to 30%) rerouting is achieved with DC switches. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America