This paper investigates the use of plasmonic optical waveguides in superconductive traveling-wave photodetectors (STWPDs) as a promising technique to efficiently couple the input optical field into the superconducting detecting structures. Field analysis is employed to study the propagation of the light through the integrated device and the coupling of optical power from the plasmonic waveguide to the superconducting film as a function of physical dimensions of the guide. A sample plasmonic waveguide, based on the LaAlO₃-YBCO-Au multilayer, will be discussed in detail and important design rules are addressed.

Date Published: 12 August 2008
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 7099, Photonics North 2008, 709913 (12 August 2008); doi: 10.1117/12.806201

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 7099:
Photonics North 2008
Réal Vallée; Michel Piché; Peter Mascher; Pavel Cheben; Daniel Côté; Sophie LaRochelle; Henry P. Schriemer; Jacques Albert; Tsuneyuki Ozaki, Editor(s)