Chalcogenide glasses in active plasmonics

The phase-change technology behind rewritable optical disks and the latest generation of electronic memories can also offer high contrast plasmonic switching functionality. Numerical simulations illustrate the extent of this potential while preliminary experiments show that a silver/gallium-lanthanum-sulphide interface can support surface plasmon-polaritons and demonstrate the principle of plasmonic modulation through reversible photo-induced changes in the chalcogenide. (C) 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim