A detailed study of guided optical modes in planar heterostructures involving one or two media with negative dielectric constant is presented. The existence and the form of the solutions with respect to geometrical and physical parameters are derived. The cases of a metal between two dielectrics and a metal-dielectric-metal heterostructure are treated successively.

• Received 15 July 1991

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.44.13556