Electrical generation of visible surface plasmon polaritons by a nanopillars antenna array

Abstract

Electrical excitation of surface plasmon polaritons by inelastic tunneling electrons has been put forward as a potential nanosource that can be used in a variety of on-chip optoelectronic applications. In this article, we report a source based on an array of gold cylindrical antennas deposited on an alumina tunnel junction. This configuration has several merits: the junction can be operated under a high bias (>3 V) so that surface plasmons can be emitted in the visible region at room temperature; the antenna controls the surface plasmon emission spectrum; the radiative power per unit area is enhanced by more than two orders of magnitude compared to a planar junction.