Plasmonic wavelength selective switch

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9261648-B2
Application number	US-201414570608-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2014
Priority date	Dec 14, 2013
Publication date	Feb 16, 2016
Grant date	Feb 16, 2016

Abstract

A plasmonic structure comprises a substrate and an electro conductor provided in or on the substrate. The electro conductor comprises a first part configured to provide a first series of plasmon resonance modes (for incident radiation of a first wavelength) and a second part configured to provide a second series of plasmon resonance modes (for incident radiation of a second wavelength). The first and second parts are functionally connected in a linkage region, wherein the electro conductor is shaped such as to form a capacitive gap. The electro conductor is further configured to direct radiation incident on the plasmonic structure of the first wavelength predominantly toward a first direction and to direct radiation incident on the plasmonic structure of the second wavelength predominantly toward a second direction, in which the first direction and the second direction are separated by an angle of at least 60°.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A plasmonic structure comprising:
a substrate; and
at least one electro conductor provided in or on the substrate, wherein the at least one electro conductor includes a first part configured to provide a first series of plasmon resonance modes for incident radiation of a first wavelength, and a second part configured to provide a second series of plasmon resonance modes for incident radiation of a second wavelength, wherein the first part and second part being functionally connected in a linkage region,
wherein the electro conductor being shaped in the linkage region such as to form a capacitive gap,
wherein the electro conductor is further configured to direct radiation incident on the plasmonic structure of the first wavelength predominantly toward a first direction and to direct radiation incident on the plasmonic structure of the second wavelength predominantly toward a second direction, and wherein the first direction and the second direction being separated by an angle of at least 60°.

2. The plasmonic structure according to claim 1 , wherein the first direction and the second direction are substantially opposite spatial directions.

3. The plasmonic structure according to claim 2 , wherein the first part forms a first plasmonic split ring resonator and the second part forms a second plasmonic split ring resonator.

4. The plasmonic structure according to claim 3 , wherein the first plasmonic split ring resonator and the second plasmonic split ring resonator each have an elliptical shape.

5. The plasmonic structure according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises glass.

6. The plasmonic structure according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate forms part of a waveguide in an integrated photonics system.

7. The plasmonic structure according to claim 1 , wherein the capacitive gap comprises a quantum emitter or in which the capacitive gap is functionalized to capture a quantum emitter.

8. A sensor comprising:
a plasmonic structure according to claim 1 ;
a first radiation detection element; and
a second radiation detection element,
wherein the plasmonic structure being arranged such as to direct radiation incident on the plasmonic structure of the first wavelength predominantly toward the first radiation detection element, and to direct radiation incident on the plasmonic structure of the second wavelength predominantly toward the second radiation detection element.

9. The sensor according to claim 8 , further comprising a filter covering the first radiation detection element and the second radiation detection element, wherein the filter being adapted for filtering out the portion of a radiation wave incident on the plasmonic structure that is transmitted through the plasmonic structure substantially unaffected.

10. The sensor according to claim 9 , wherein the sensor further comprises a sample positioning means for bringing a sample into contact with the plasmonic structure.

11. The sensor according to claim 10 , wherein the sensor further comprises an excitation source for exciting fluorescent labels being positioned near the plasmonic structure, and the sensor further being adapted for characterizing differently fluorescent labeled targets of interest in the sample.

12. The sensor according to claim 11 , wherein the sensor further comprises a processor for processing radiation sensed at the first and/or second radiation detection element and/or for determining a ratio of the amount of radiation detected in the first radiation detection element and the amount of radiation detected in the second radiation detection element.

13. A method for wavelength selective switching of radiation, the method comprising:
providing a plasmonic structure comprising an electro conductor that includes a first part configured to provide a first plasmon resonance mode for incident radiation of a first wavelength and a second part configured to provide a second plasmon resonance mode for incident radiation of a second wavelength, wherein the first part and second part being functionally connected in a linkage region, wherein the electro conductor is further configured to direct radiation incident on the plasmonic structure of the first wavelength predominantly toward a first direction and to direct radiation incident on the plasmonic structure of the second wavelength predominantly toward a second direction; and
impinging a radiation wave onto the plasmonic structure such as to direct a first component of the radiation wave corresponding to the first wavelength toward the first direction and to direct a second component of the radiation wave corresponding to the second wavelength toward the second direction.

14. The method according to claim 13 , further comprising:
introducing a fluorophore in or near a capacitive gap formed in the linkage region;
determining a radiative property of the first component of the radiation wave and of the second component of the radiation wave; and
determining a property of the fluorophore taking into account the determined radiative property of the first component and the second component.

15. The method according to claim 14 , the method further comprising evaluating a ratio of the radiation directed to the first direction and the radiation directed to the second direction.

Assignees

• Imec Vzw
• Univ Leuven Kath

Inventors

• Vercruysse Dries

Classifications

• G02B6/12007

  forming wavelength selective elements, e.g. multiplexer, demultiplexer · CPC title

• G02B6/1226 Primary

  involving surface plasmon interaction · CPC title

• G02B2006/12145

  Switch · CPC title

• G02B2006/12138

  Sensor · CPC title

• G01N2021/6441

  with two or more labels · CPC title