Guiding and routing surface plasmons with transformation-invariant metamaterials. (15th December 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Huang, Yao; Zhang, Jingjing; Qiang, Bo; Xu, Zhengji; Wang, Qijie; Luo, Yu
• Is Part Of: Journal of optics. Volume 24:Number 1(2022)
• Publication Date: 2021-12-15
• Subjects: transformation optics -- plasmonic -- transformation-invariant metamaterial; Optics -- Periodicals; 535.05
• DOI: 10.1088/2040-8986/ac38c5
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2040-8978

Abstract

Abstract: Rough metallic surfaces cause severe scattering to surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs), thereby limiting SPP transmission efficiency. Here, we propose a general scheme to design ultracompact plasmonic routers that can confine and guide SPPs on an arbitrarily shaped rough surface. Our strategy makes use of recently proposed transformation-invariant metamaterials (TIMs). To illustrate the advantages of this approach, we perform finite-element simulations, showing that the performance of the designed surface wave router is robust against the change in thickness. As a result, a λ /6 thick TIM layer can significantly suppress scattering from arbitrarily shaped metallic bumps or crevices. We also give a blueprint to implement such ultracompact surface wave routers based on periodic metal/epsilon-near-zero material stackings.