A symmetric terahertz graphene-based hybrid plasmonic waveguide

A graphene-based hybrid plasmonic waveguide (GHPW) structure, which works on the terahertz frequency and includes two identical cylinder robs symmetrically put on each side of graphene sheet with gaps g, has been proposed and investigated. The present waveguide not only significantly improves the propagation length but also maintains a compact mode area, which is due to the coupling between the dielectric waveguide mode and plasmonic mode. The graphene plasmons particularly differ from plasmons in noble metals of which propagation loss can be tuned by adjusting the Fermi energy level or carrier mobility. With a very good Fermi energy level and carrier mobility, a typical propagation length of 26.7 mm, and mode area of optical field of approximately 4 mu m(2) at 10 THz are achieved. This waveguide structure shows great promise for designing kinds of functional elements in actively tunable integrated optical devices. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.