In:
PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science (PLoS), Vol. 17, No. 10 ( 2022-10-26), p. e0276522-
Abstract:
A surface plasmon polariton (SPP) is an excitation resulting from the coupling of light to a surface charge oscillation at a metal-dielectric interface. The excitation and detection of SPPs is foundational to the operating mechanism of a number of important technologies, most of which require SPP excitation via direct reflectance, commonly achieved via Attenuated Total Reflection (ATR) using the Kretschmann configuration. As a result, the accessible modes are fundamentally high-loss “leaky modes,” presenting a critical performance barrier. Recently, our group provided the first demonstration of “forbidden,” or guided-wave plasmon polariton modes (GW-PPMs), collective modes of a MIM structure with oscillatory electric field amplitude in the central insulator layer with up to an order of magnitude larger propagation lengths than those of traditional SPPs. However, in that work, GW-PPMs were accessed by indirect reflectance using Otto configuration ATR, making them of limited applied relevance. In this paper, we demonstrate a technique for direct reflectance excitation and detection of GW-PPMs. Specifically, we replace the air gap used in traditional Otto ATR with a low refractive index polymer coupling layer, mirroring a technique previously demonstrated to access Long-Range Surface Plasmon Polariton modes. We fit experimental ATR data using a robust theoretical model to confirm the character of the modes, as well as to explore the potential of this approach to enable advantageous propagation lengths. The ability to excite GW-PPMs using a device configuration that does not require an air gap could potentially enable transformative performance enhancements in a number of critical technologies.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
1932-6203
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0276522
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0276522.g001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0276522.g002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0276522.g003
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0276522.g004
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0276522.g005
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0276522.g006
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0276522.g007
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0276522.g008
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0276522.g009
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0276522.g010
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0276522.t001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0276522.s001
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0276522.s002
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0276522.s003
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0276522.s004
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0276522.s005
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0276522.s006
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0276522.s007
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0276522.s008
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0276522.s009
Language:
English
Publisher:
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Publication Date:
2022
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2267670-3
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