Grant: EWR Steacie Fellowships - Supplement

This research program is devoted to the study of active optical devices based on metal stripe waveguides. Such waveguides were recently discovered to support a low-loss optical wave, termed a long-range surface plasmon-polariton wave. The main objective of this proposal is to research amplifiers, lasers and photodetectors, operating in this wave and implemented in metal stripe waveguides. Specific objectives, attainable within the 2-year time frame of this Steacie supplement, are to: (a) demonstrate net amplification and lasing using a dye solution as the gain medium; (b) design, fabricate and demonstrate tunable 1st order Bragg gratings; (c) design, fabricate and demonstrate a tunable surface plasmon dye laser using the gratings; and (d) design, fabricate and demonstrate Schottky contact detectors on silicon. Theoretical models will be developed for all of the devices, based on first principles, resting on electromagnetics and quantum optics. Experiments will be defined and conducted to verify and validate all models. Custom devices will be fabricated for this purpose, and to demonstrate the proposed structures and underlying phenomena. The scientific approach thus comprises a mix of theory and experiment appropriate to meeting the objectives. Achieving the main goal of this proposal establishes active functionality in an important new integrated optics technology. This technology will then lead to new applications in the fields of telecommunications and sensing, exploiting to advantage the presence of a metal in the optical path, and the peculiarities of the propagating surface plasmon wave. The results will be of interest to the plasmonics, optics, optical communications and sensor communities. It is expected that the results of this work will eventually lead to greater industrial competitiveness for Canadian companies working in these areas.