The application of surface plasmon polariton effect in photonic integration

Nowadays, there are several approaches that are considered to be promising for the further integration of photonic devices, including photonic crystal waveguides and devices, dielectric devices with high refractive index contrast, and surface plasmon waveguides and devices. Among them, researchers have designed a variety of surface plasmon waveguides and devices based on surface plasmon polariton (SPP) effect, because of its characteristics of near field enhancement, space localization and diffraction limit overcoming. These waveguides and devices can be widely used in many aspects of optical communication. This paper first briefly introduces the characteristics and the excitation mode of SPP. Then we review the popular applications of SPP effect in photonic integrated devices, especially for optical communication applications, such as optical waveguides, lasers, couplers. Some latest research results are included. Finally, we briefly summarize our work on non-metal surface plasmon materials.