| 摘要 |
<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical waveguide device which enhances the intensity of light propagated through an optical waveguide at a low cost without increasing spread of the light. <P>SOLUTION: An optical waveguide device 11 has an optical waveguide 13 formed therethrough in the direction perpendicular to a metallic plate body 12 made of a negative dielectric medium of which the real part of the dielectric constant takes a negative value. When the direction of polarization of propagated light is taken as the width direction, an opening on the front end side of the optical waveguide 13 is formed into a minute opening 15 which is formed by continuously connecting a narrower part 16 having an inner width in the width direction made smaller than half the wavelength of propagated light and a wider part 17 having inner width larger than that of the narrower part. Consequently, when light is propagated in the optical waveguide 13, surface plasmons generated on both inner surface parts 18 facing each other in the width direction of the narrower part 16 couple to enhance the intensity of the electric field, and reduce the phase velocity, and as a result, the propagated light converges in the narrower part 16. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO |
