A Subwavelength-Laser-Driven Transmitting Optical Nanoantenna for Wireless Communications

Abstract: Nanoantennas are efficient devices exhibiting large confined electric field enhancements. So far, they have been extensively researched mainly in the receiving mode, which means that the illuminating field is essentially a plane wave. In this paper, we consider the problem of designing an efficient and highly directive transmitting Nanoantenna where the system is energized by a non-plane wave field, a subwavelength laser excitation. Including short-wavelength components allowed us to achieve a 200-nm spot radius, which is a quarter of its incident wavelength (800 nm). Near- and far-field antenna quantities are introduced and calculated using an efficient full-wave multiphysics solver. A nano-scale optical antenna is then presented with optimized dimensions and material settings. Various design curves and insights are also discussed in connection with how issues such as how to define efficiency and determine whether the system is radiating properly.