Efficient unidirectional generation of surface plasmon polaritons with asymmetric single-nanoslit

An asymmetric single-nanoslit composed of a conventional nanoslit with a nanogroove next to it in a metallic film is proposed to generate unidirectional surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) efficiently with back-side illumination. Numerical simulations show that due to the different interference processes of SPPs to opposite directions, efficient unidirectional SPP generation can be achieved. Experimentally, an extinction ratio of about 30:1 for SPPs to opposite directions and a generation efficiency of about 1.8 times that of the symmetrical case are demonstrated at wavelength of 830 nm with the lateral dimension of the asymmetric single-nanoslit of only 370 nm. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3472251]