Abstract

An artificial dielectric material consists of a dielectric host in which another material, of different dielectric properties, is embedded as a guest.¹ Clear polymers, thus, may serve as host for metallic or semiconductor guest materials. The guest materials may be in the form of clusters or layers; however, the cluster size or the layer thickness, and the distance between the clusters or layers must be smaller than the optical wavelength used. The linear properties of artificial dielectric polymeric waveguides are discussed. The waveguides are composed of successive layers of polymer and metal. Analysis of the waveguide employs a static approximation because of the small dimensions of the guest material.

© 1989 Optical Society of America