An on-chip hybrid plasmonic light steering concentrator with ∼96% coupling efficiency

Abstract

We, for the first time, propose and theoretically study a plasmonic light steering concentrator (PLSC) that is based on a hybrid photonic–plasmonic sandwich structure. In this device, a transverse electric (TE) polarization guided mode supported by a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguide is vertically coupled to a metal–dielectric–metal sandwich structure, while the structure steers the light to a perpendicular metal taper and focuses the light on the apex of the taper with a small radius of 15 nm. Based on the coupled-mode theory, the two supermodes (quasi-TM modes) are clarified to illustrate the coupling mechanism of the device. We numerically obtain over 96% coupling efficiency at the 1500 nm telecommunication wavelength, and the mode width supported by the apex is limited laterally within the range of ∼110 nm, where the field enhancement calculated is found to be more than 10⁷ compared to that of light in the silicon waveguide.