Wafer-bonded surface plasmon waveguides

Direct wafer bonding and thinning were explored as an approach for constructing long-range surface plasmon waveguides. The structures consist of a thin metal stripe deposited into a shallow trench etched into one of the claddings, to which another cladding of the same material is directly bonded. The approach was developed first using Pyrex wafers in order to assess feasibility and then using lithium niobate wafers. Optical and electro-optical measurements validate the approach.