Integrated plasmon and dielectric waveguides

We have designed, fabricated and characterized surface plasmon waveguides for near infrared light in the telecommunications spectrum. These waveguides exhibit losses of - 1.2dB/mum and can guide light around 0.5 mum bends. Light can also be efficiently coupled between more conventional silicon waveguides and these plasmon waveguides with compact couplers, and we demonstrate that surface plasmon optical devices can be constructed by using planar circuit fabrication techniques. The large optical field enhancements of metallic surface plasmon devices are expected to lead to a new class of plasmonic optical devices, which will take advantage of the large field enhancements at the surfaces of the plasmon waveguides for nonlinear or sensing functionality, while utilizing the low losses available in silicon waveguides to move light longer distances on chip. (C) 2004 Optical Society of America.