Optimized Dipole-Surface Plasmon Waveguide Coupling for Enhancement of SLD Performance

A five-layer surface plasmon waveguide (SPWG) is proposed to be used in a superluminescent diode. It is shown that the generated light by the proposed device has higher power and broader spectrum compared with a conventional device in which a dielectric waveguide has been used. The effect of SPWG parameters on loss and spontaneous emission coupling factor is addressed, and design guidelines have been given for two cases where emphasis is on high output power or high power-spectral width product.