Modulation of surface plasmon coupling-in by one-dimensional surface corrugation

Surface plasmon-polaritons have recently attracted renewed interest in the scientific community for their potential in sub-wavelength optics, light generation and non-destructive sensing. Given that they cannot be directly excited by freely propagating light due to their intrinsic binding to the metal surface, the light - plasmon coupling efficiency becomes of crucial importance for the success of any plasmonic device. Here, we present a comprehensive study on the modulation ( enhancement or suppression) of such a coupling efficiency by means of one-dimensional surface corrugation. Our approach is based on simple wave interference and enables us to make quantitative predictions which have been experimentally confirmed at both the near-infrared and telecom ranges.