A novel polarizer based on directional coupler and surface plasmon polaritons

A novel polarizer with a silver nanoribbon added into a traditional waveguide directional coupler is designed to realize the polarized output of TE mode. A high extinction ratio can be obtained because of the selectivity of surface plasmon polaritons （SPPs） on polarization. The effects of the polarizer parameters on coupling efficiency and extinction ratio are discussed. Simulation results indicate that the coupling efficiency for TE mode can reach about 95%, but only 3% for TM mode, with the extinction ratio of TE mode about 15 dB when the light wavelength is 1550 nm, The polarizer may have potential applications in photonic integrated circuits and quantum information technology.