COMPACT, HIGH-EXTINCTION WAVE-GUIDE POLARIZERS THAT USE LOCALIZED SURFACE-PLASMONS

We report a new type of waveguide polarizer that utilizes surface plasmon modes localized in nanometer-size silver particles to polarize light. Polarization is due to selective excitation of a lossy surface plasmon mode in the silver. Planar waveguides have been fabricated by a K+-Na+ ion-exchange process in a glass composite containing elongated silver particles. Both TE- and TM-pass polarizers have been fabricated with extinction ratios of > 50 dB/100-mu-m at 836 nm. Propagation losses for the pass axis were < 0.2 dB/10-mu-m. The polarizing properties are modeled by an effective medium theory.