Phase-coupled plasmon-induced transparency.

We demonstrate the existence of electromagnetically-induced-transparency (EIT-)like spectral response in a system of nanoscale plasmonic resonator antennas coupled by means of a single-mode silicon waveguide. Our proposed scheme exploits the phase of the coupling between the antennas in contrast with the existing plasmonic approaches that rely on the strength of direct, near-field coupling of nanometallic elements. Quality factors of over 100 and group indices of over 10 are readily achieved at near-infrared frequencies by a single unit in ≈1  μm2 of total device footprint, representing a more than two orders size reduction over corresponding dielectric EIT structures. By obviating the need for a near-field interaction, the phase-coupling scheme also facilitates an improved access to the coupling medium between the resonators thereby paving the way toward dynamic control of their sharp EIT-like spectral response.