Gain assisted surface plasmon polariton in quantum wells structures

In this paper we propose a structure to compensate the propagation loss of surface plasmons by using multiple quantum wells as a gain medium. We analyze the required gain for lossless surface plasmon propagation for different thicknesses and widths of the metallic guiding layer. We study the effects of the gain layers and a finite height superstrate on the surface plasmon mode and its propagation loss. It is shown that the gain required for lossless plasmon propagation is achievable with present technology. (c) 2007 Optical Society of America.