抄録
Surface-plasmon polaritons (SPPs) act as extraordinary electromagnetic waves having spatially squeezed field intensity distributions, that couple with oscillation of dense conductive matter and propagate at a metal-dielectric interface. Plasmon-mode metal waveguides are the channels to support their propagation. Characterization based on Maxwell equations gives clear understanding of the plasmon mode in terms of their propagation properties, such as dispersion relations. The method is extended to the analysis of the waveguides with slab structures. Experiments performed with devices having simple metal stripes on dielectric substrates and devices having micro-strip structures to show their promising performance for future ultra-high density photonic integration. An innovative trial of light confinement in a small space, where free-space light waves can never exist, is further described.
