Semiconductor Surface Plasmon Amplifier Based on a Schottky Barrier Diode

We propose a novel scheme of the semiconductor surface plasmon amplifier. It is based on a minority carrier injection in a metal insulator semiconductor diode. The principle of operation is as follows. Excess electrons and holes recombine radiatively and emit photons. If the difference between quasi-Fermi levels exceeds the bandgap, the surface plasmon plasmon polariton (SPP) is amplified. A compact size and a planar structure of the amplifier allow to utilize it in integrated optical circuits and couple it easily to passive plasmonic devices. Moreover, the proposed technique can be used to obtain sufrace plasmon lasing by analogy with semiconductor lasers.