Tunability of plasmonic devices

An overview on tunable plasmonic components for guided-wave applications in integrated photonic circuitry is provided. Emphasis is given on a series of electro-optically controlled plasmonic elements, variable attenuators, phase modulators, and directional coupler switches, based on the use of nematic liquid crystalline materials. These extend to various plasmonic platforms, which target different light confinement scales in view of optical intra- and inter-chip interconnection applications.