Modular nonlinear hybrid plasmonic circuit

Photonic integrated circuits (PICs) are revolutionizing nanotechnology, with far-reaching applications in telecommunications, molecular sensing, and quantum information. PIC designs rely on mature nanofabrication processes and readily available and optimised photonic components (gratings, splitters, couplers). Hybrid plasmonic elements can enhance PIC functionality (e.g., wavelength-scale polarization rotation, nanoscale optical volumes, and enhanced nonlinearities), but most PIC-compatible designs use single plasmonic elements, with more complex circuits typically requiring ab initio designs. Here we demonstrate a modular approach to post-processes off-the-shelf silicon-on-insulator (SOI) waveguides into hybrid plasmonic integrated circuits. These consist of a plasmonic rotator and a nanofocusser, which generate the second harmonic frequency of the incoming light. We characterize each component’s performance on the SOI waveguide, experimentally demonstrating intensity enhancements of more than 200 in an inferred mode area of 100 nm2, at a pump wavelength of 1320 nm. This modular approach to plasmonic circuitry makes the applications of this technology more practical. Chip-scale modular components are important for nanophotonic applications. Here, the authors demonstrate post-processing of a silicon-on-insulator waveguide into an integrated hybrid plasmonic circuit, consisting of a plasmonic rotator and a nanofocusser module, which together result in nanoscale nonlinear wavelength conversion.