Lossless propagation in active channel plasmon polariton waveguides

In this paper, we have analyzed and simulated the propagation of lightwave in three different types of active channel plasmon polariton waveguides (CPPWs), V-groove, trench and step-trench at 1550 nm wavelength based on a kind of available semiconductor as the active gain medium. By using the finite-difference frequency-domain method, strong plasmon modes confinement is observed in these waveguides and the required gains for achieving lossless propagations are derived. Due to the strong optical confinement, strong nonlinearity effects can be acquired in CPPWs. The dependence of the required gains on the geometrical parameters of the structures and wavelength changes for acquiring lossless propagation are analyzed and discussed in all three waveguides. The simulation results show that the calculated gain values are achievable by the existing semiconductor technology. Results show that the required gains for lossless propagation in nanoscale plasmonic devices can be well controlled by adjusting their geometrical parameters.