Modulation of surface plasmon coupling-in by one-dimensional surface corrugation

TL;DR

This paper investigates how one-dimensional surface corrugation can modulate the efficiency of surface plasmon-polariton excitation, providing a simple wave interference model validated by experiments in near-infrared and telecom ranges.

Contribution

It introduces a straightforward wave interference approach to predict and control plasmon coupling efficiency via surface corrugation, supported by experimental validation.

Findings

Corrugation can enhance or suppress plasmon coupling.

The model accurately predicts experimental results.

Effective modulation achieved in near-infrared and telecom ranges.

Abstract

Surface plasmon-polaritons have recently attracted renewed interest in the scientific community for their potential in sub-wavelength optics, light generation and non-destructive sensing. Given that they cannot be directly excited by freely propagating light due to their intrinsical binding to the metal surface, the light-plasmon coupling efficiency becomes of crucial importance for the success of any plasmonic device. Here we present a comprehensive study on the modulation (enhancement or suppression) of such coupling efficiency by means of one-dimensional surface corrugation. Our approach is based on simple wave interference and enables us to make quantitative predictions which have been experimentally confirmed at both the near infra-red and telecom ranges.