Absorption of surface plasmons in a metal-cladding layer-air structure in the terahertz frequency range

The effect of a thin dielectric cladding layer of a metal on the absorption of surface plasmons (SPs) in the terahertz frequency range is studied experimentally and numerically. It is found that, as the radiation wavelength increases, the attenuation of SPs caused by the cladding layer can increase by a factor of ∼104 as compared to the absorption of SPs propagating along the unperturbed metal-air interface. Data obtained in experiments with germanium-cladded aluminum specimens using radiation from a terahertz free-electron laser (v = 90 cm−1) confirm that application of a dielectric cladding on the metal surface causes the SP absorption to increase.