Experimental demonstration of dielectric-loaded plasmonic waveguide disk resonators at telecom wavelengths

Dielectric-loaded plasmonic waveguide disk resonators (WDRs) operating at telecom wavelengths are fabricated and investigated. Disks resonators of various radii coupled to a straight waveguide are studied both numerically and experimentally. For each disk radius, the gap between the disk and the waveguide is varied from 0 to 300 nm. Performance of the fabricated WDRs is characterized in the wavelength range of 1500-1620 nm using near-field optical microscopy. Wavelength selectivity and efficiency of the WDRs are evaluated and are in good agreement with numerical results. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3574606]