Manipulating optical signals at sub-wavelength scale by planar arrays of metallic nanospheres: Towards plasmonic interference devices

We show that interference can be the principle of operation of an all-optical switch and other nanoscale plasmonic interference devices (PIDs). The optical response of two types of planar plasmonic waveguides is studied theoretically: bent chains and Y-shaped configurations of closely-spaced metallic nanospheres. We study symmetric Y-shape arrays as an example of an all-optical switch and demonstrate that effective phase- and amplitude-sensitive control of the output signal can be achieved due to interference effects.