Outlook and developments

The integration of plasmonic structures, whether propagative or localized, on photonic guides represents a breakthrough in the miniaturization of photonic circuits, as long as the interface with the guided modes is efficient. This is optimally achieved using coupled-guide mechanisms and allows plasmons to be used sparingly, achieving the best compromise between compactness, exaltation of effects and minimization of losses. As shown in this article, the possibilities for using these structures are numerous, diverse and easy to implement. The manufacturing technology for metallic structures or nano-structures is based on microelectronics standards, and adds no specific complexity to planar fabrication. What's more, these structures are compatible with other systems such as microfluidic systems for lab-on-a-chip (biosensors, optical tweezers, plasmonic manipulators, etc.), electronic systems...