[OPTICAL REVIEW Vol. 6, No. 3 (1999) 204-210]
Observation of Resonant Photon Tunneling in Photonic Double Barrier Structures*
Shinji HAYASHI,1 Hiromasa KUROKAWA2 and Hirofumi OGA2
1Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Kobe University, Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe, 657-8501 Japan, 2Division of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, The Graduate School of Science and Technology, Kobe University, Rokkodai, Nada, Kobe, 657-8501 Japan
(Received December 21, 1998; Accepted January 19, 1999)
Reflectance and transmittance of 632.8 nm He-Ne laser light for photonic double barrier structures (consisting of a SF10 prism, SiO2 layer, Al or Al2O3 active layer, SiO2 layer and SF10 prism) were measured as a function of the angle of incidence for both the p- and s-polarized incidence. Sharp reflection dips and transmission peaks were observed at angles larger than the critical angle of total reflection. The appearance of the transmission peaks can be attributed to resonant photon tunneling through the photonic double barrier structures analogous to resonant electron tunneling through double potential barrier structures. Resonant tunneling is mediated by the long-range surface plasmon polariton in the case of the Al active layer and the electromagnetic guided modes in the case of the Al2O3 layer.
Key words : resonant photon tunneling, frustrated total reflection, surface plasmon, guided mode, double barrier structure