Multi-mode Hybrid Plasmonic Waveguides with Enhanced Confinement and Propagation

A hybrid waveguide, which consists of a dielectric wire above a dielectric-metal interface, has been previously proposed to achieve high confinement with low loss. By exciting this geometry with an aperture in the metal that takes advantage of the extraordinary transmission through subwavelength apertures, it is possible to strongly couple to multiple modes. The real part of the fundamental mode is in fact capable of exceeding the index of refraction of all the materials used while maintaining a manageable imaginary part, as a result of appropriate choice of materials for the dielectric wire and the metal. In addition, as the confinement of the second mode is comparable to that of the fundamental mode but has a much longer propagation length, this mode can be utilized in light-guiding applications where enhanced confinement and propagation is desired.