Guided-mode triggered switching between TE orders of a metal-based grating-waveguide

Abstract

An undulated metal-based dielectric slab waveguide is shown to exhibit a high contrast broadband switching effect in the angular spectrum between the 0th order Fresnel reflection and the propagating -1st reflected diffraction orders. The switching trigger is the synchronous collinear coupling of an incident TE plane wave to the close-to-cutoff forward- and backward-propagating fundamental TE0 mode of the waveguide via the +1st and -2nd order of the periodic undulation.

Keywords

• optical diffraction
• optical gratings
• optical switching
• optical waveguides