Coupling of waveguide mode and graphene plasmons

Abstract

Photonic waveguides with graphene layers have been recently studied for their potential as fast and low-power electro-optic modulators with small footprints. We show that in the optical wavelength range of 1.55 μm, surface plasmons supported by the graphene layer with the chemical potential exceeding ~0.5 eV can couple with the waveguide mode and affect its propagation. This effect might be possibly utilized in technical applications as a very low-power amplitude modulation, temperature sensing, etc.