Gain-assisted propagation in a plasmonic waveguide at telecom wavelength

Nano Lett. 2009 Aug;9(8):2935-9. doi: 10.1021/nl901314u.

Abstract

The spatial confinement of surface plasmon polaritons is a promising route for realizing optical on-board interconnects. However, mode losses increase with the confinement factor. To overcome this road block, we investigate propagation assisted by stimulated emission in a polymer strip-loaded plasmonic waveguide doped with nanocrystals. We achieve 27% increase of the propagation length at telecom wavelength corresponding to a 160 cm(-1) optical gain coefficient. Such a configuration is a step toward integrated plasmonic amplifiers.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't