Generating intense optical fields with hybrid-gap plasmon lasers

Plasmonics is a potential route to optical devices that generate intense localized electric fields with unique capabilities in nonlinear optics. Many predict that sub-wavelength optical systems will be essential in the development of future optical integrated circuits, but realising this potential will be contingent on the ability to exploit plasmonic effects with semiconductor materials. Furthermore, the capability to focus light beyond the wavelength limit presents opportunities to explore intense optical field physics. To these ends we present two implementations of semiconductor hybrid gap plasmon devices that look promising for such applications. The first is a nanofocusing element [1] that boosts the electric fields of guided waves within a 24nm wide gap. The second device is a GaAs nano-plasmonic laser [2] with the potential to generate extremely intense optical field within nanoscale gaps [3].