Light can be coupled into propagating electromagnetic surface waves at a metal-dielectric interface known as surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs). This process has traditionally faced challenges in the polarization sensitivity of the coupling efficiency and in controlling the directionality of the SPPs. We designed and demonstrated plasmonic couplers that overcome these limits using polarization-sensitive apertures in a gold film. Our devices enable polarization-controlled tunable directional coupling with polarization-invariant total conversion efficiency and preserve the incident polarization information. Both bidirectional and unidirectional launching of SPPs are demonstrated. The design is further applied to circular structures that create radially convergent and divergent SPPs, illustrating that this concept can be extended to a broad range of applications.

We report a new type of holographic interface, which is able to manipulate the three fundamental properties of light (phase, amplitude, and polarization) over a broad wavelength range. The design strategy relies on replacing the large openings of conventional holograms by arrays of subwavelength apertures, oriented to locally select a particular state of polarization. The resulting optical element can therefore be viewed as the superposition of two independent structures with very different length scales, that is, a hologram with each of its apertures filled with nanoscale openings to only transmit a desired state of polarization. As an implementation, we fabricated a nanostructured holographic plate that can generate radially polarized optical beams from circularly polarized incident light, and we demonstrated that it can operate over a broad range of wavelengths. The ability of a single holographic interface to simultaneously shape the amplitude, phase, and polarization of light can find widespread applications in photonics.

Focused ion beam ͑FIB͒ methodologies for successfully milling copper ͑U.S. Patent No. 6,322,672 B1͒ have been demonstrated. Approaches to milling copper ͑Cu͒ are required because standard FIB mill procedures produce rough, uneven cuts that are unsuitable for circuit edits, a principal FIB function. Efforts to develop gas assisted etching ͑GAE͒ processes which would smoothly mill Cu failed because Cu halides are not volatile and remain on the substrate as corrosive electrically conductive debris. Single crystal studies show that Cu grains with different crystal orientations vary in mill rate by as much as 4ϫ. Moreover, the ͑110͒ crystal orientation, which mills most slowly, forms a Cu 3 Ga phase when milled with a focused Ga ion beam. This phase is particularly resistant to milling and, in polycrystalline Cu, propagates during the milling operation, contributing to the uneven trench profiles. CoppeRx, a novel scan strategy, cleanly and uniformly removes polycrystalline Cu with minimal damage to the underlying dielectric. CoppeRx minimizes the formation and propagation of the Cu 3 Ga phase and equalizes the etch rates of the Cu crystal orientations. The CoppeRx strategy includes the milling of an ''egg crate'' topography to minimize the propagation of the Cu 3 Ga phase and the creation of a heavy atom sacrificial layer of the Cu surface ͑U.S. Patent Application No. 20010053605͒ which scatters the incident Ga ion beam, thereby reducing the channeling influence on Cu milling rates. This heavy atom layer is created by flowing W͑CO͒ 6 vapor during the FIB milling process. The CoppeRx scan strategy is especially beneficial for milling thick ͑Ͼ0.8 m͒ Cu structures with large, prominent grains. Because Cu interconnect lines are relatively thin ͑Ͻ0.4 -0.5 m͒, grain-related milling roughness is less of a problem. The CoppeRx egg crate topography and W scattering layer are not required. Instead, the successful cutting of 40 ohm Cu interconnect lines to produce Ͼ20 M ohm open circuits is achieved by flowing O 2 or H 2 O during the milling process ͑U.S. Patent No. 6,322,672B1͒. The O 2 /H 2 O flow smoothes the Cu milling by producing an amorphous surface oxide, thereby reducing channeling, and by enhancing the etch selectivity for Cu relative to the surrounding and underlying SiO 2 based dielectric. These interconnect cuts have been routinely done at the bottom of high aspect ratio holes ͑e.g., 1ϫ1ϫ9 m͒.