Generation and Spatial Control of Hybrid Tamm Plasmon/Surface Plasmon Modes

In this Letter we experimentally demonstrate the coupling between Tamm plasmon and surface plasmon modes in a metal/semiconductor integrated microstructure. The Tamm plasmon mode is excited by the photoluminescence of quantum dots grown in the top part of a dielectric Bragg mirror covered by a silver layer. The hybrid nature of such a Tamm plasmon/surface plasmon mode is demonstrated by the observation of a spatial beating along the propagation. Experimental results are in very good agreement with numerical calculations. We show how such a structure can be used and further optimized to create surface plasmons through electrical pumping. These results pave the way to a new generation of hybrid metal/semiconductor integrated optical devices for both energy-sensitive surface detection and electrical excitation of surface plasmons.