Mode size and loss in strongly asymmetric plasmonic waveguide with dielectric cladding

The effect of dielectric cladding on modifying a mode field based on a multilayer planar surface plasmon polariton (SPP) waveguide is investigated at the telecom wavelength of 1.55 μm. Through numerical calculations based on the transfer matrix method and Cauchy integration method, we point out that the mode loss and the mode size can be efficiently engineered via tailoring the dielectric cladding layer. With appropriately optimized thickness and refractive index of the dielectric cladding, the mode size and mode loss of the long-range SPP modes supported by the proposed structure could reach their minima simultaneously such that the figure of merit exhibits a maximum, which breaks the trade-off relationship between confinement and attenuation of SPP waveguide to a certain degree. Furthermore, benefiting from the dielectric cladding effect, the adjustability of field distribution in the dielectric region provides a simple and effective means for improving the light–matter interaction strength for the purpose of SPP signal modulating, detecting or sensing. (paper)