Efficient Coupling From Dielectric to Hybrid Plasmonic Waveguide Using Curved Taper

This is the first report on the investigation of a realistic 3D hybrid metal-insulator-silicon-insulator-metal (MISIM) plasmonic tapered coupler, which efficiently couples light from dielectric to multilayer (MISIM) hybrid plasmonic waveguide. The structure is designed to achieve high transmission efficiency and to suppress the reflection losses. The proposed coupler exhibits a maximum transmittance up to 99% and a minimum mode propagation loss of 0.07 dB/mu m at 1.55-mu m wavelength. The structure is designed using an ultra-short curved taper length of 1.5 mu m, and it occupies a footprint area of 5.94 mu m(2), which is several folds reduced compared to the previous reports. This investigation provides a basis for the future nanoscale photonics of practical applications.