Due to the increased demand for high-operating-speed systems and ultra-compact optical devices, nanophotonic waveguides such as plasmonic waveguides have been a subject of intense interest over the past few years. The ability of plasmonic waveguides to guide light within nano-scale structures beyond the diffraction limit has driven researchers in different fields to exploit their unique features. Even though plasmonic waveguides have shown a strong mode confinement at nano-scale dimensions, they have high propagation loss. Consequently, many geometries and structures have been proposed to investigate ways to reduce this loss. The most recent type of plasmonic waveguide that shows high mode confinement and low propagation loss compared with the other types is the hybrid plasmonic waveguide (HPW). An HPW consists of a low-index dielectric layer sandwiched between a high-index dielectric material and a metal layer; the mode is predominantly confined within the low-index layer. This thesis addresses the use of HPWs for nonlinear applications such as optical switching devices based on the nonlinear phenomenon known as the Kerr effect, where the sub-wavelength dielectric layer has a pronounced nonlinear response. Using Finite Element Method analysis, the nonlinear hybrid plasmonic waveguide (NLHPW) is modeled, and the performance of the NLHPW has been investigated by using appropriate figures of merit to measure the Kerr nonlinearity of the NLHPW with and without the linear loss of the waveguide. These are shown to compare favourably with those of alternate waveguiding geometries. Moreover, the NLHPW has been shown a good balance between mode confinement and loss; small effective mode areas of 0.04 – 0.15 µm2 at a wavelength of λ=1.55 µm and relatively long propagation lengths of 30 to 160 µm can be realized, which make NLHPWs promising candidates for nonlinear applications. As a result, a nonlinear ring resonator with a radius of 1 µm based on the NLHPW is designed and investigated numerically by using frequency domain simulations. It is found that the field intensity in the ring is enhanced four times higher than the field intensity in the input waveguide, and that a nonlinear resonance shift is realized when changing the intensity of the data signal.

Due to the increased demand for high-operating-speed systems and ultra-compact optical devices, nanophotonic waveguides such as plasmonic waveguides have been a subject of intense interest over the past few years. The ability of plasmonic waveguides to guide light within nano-scale structures beyond the diffraction limit has driven researchers in different fields to exploit their unique features. Even though plasmonic waveguides have shown a strong mode confinement at nano-scale dimensions, they have high propagation loss. Consequently, many geometries and structures have been proposed to investigate ways to reduce this loss. The most recent type of plasmonic waveguide that shows high mode confinement and low propagation loss compared with the other types is the hybrid plasmonic waveguide (HPW). An HPW consists of a low-index dielectric layer sandwiched between a high-index dielectric material and a metal layer; the mode is predominantly confined within the low-index layer. This thesis addresses the use of HPWs for nonlinear applications such as optical switching devices based on the nonlinear phenomenon known as the Kerr effect, where the sub-wavelength dielectric layer has a pronounced nonlinear response. Using Finite Element Method analysis, the nonlinear hybrid plasmonic waveguide (NLHPW) is modeled, and the performance of the NLHPW has been investigated by using appropriate figures of merit to measure the Kerr nonlinearity of the NLHPW with and without the linear loss of the waveguide. These are shown to compare favourably with those of alternate waveguiding geometries. Moreover, the NLHPW has been shown a good balance between mode confinement and loss; small effective mode areas of 0.04 – 0.15 µm2 at a wavelength of λ=1.55 µm and relatively long propagation lengths of 30 to 160 µm can be realized, which make NLHPWs promising candidates for nonlinear applications. As a result, a nonlinear ring resonator with a radius of 1 µm based on the NLHPW is designed and investigated numerically by using frequency domain simulations. It is found that the field intensity in the ring is enhanced four times higher than the field intensity in the input waveguide, and that a nonlinear resonance shift is realized when changing the intensity of the data signal.

Miniaturization of electronic circuits and systems continue to pose great difficulties in meeting the demand and anticipated growth for information services and their associated electronics. Of the several information processing techniques under consideration for devices of the future, optical systems are considered to offer significant advantages in terms of speed and bandwidth. Unfortunately, at the dimensions of contemporary electronics, optical waveguides will fail to assist significantly due to the fact that standard optical waveguides will have dimensions below the diffraction limit and hence optical waveguiding at such scales will be impractical. In order to circumvent this, recent work in the area of using nano-sized protrusions to guide light below the diffraction limit has been receiving a decent amount of attention. Such systems have typically involved using electron beam lithography to create these perturbations on metallic surfaces called plasmonic waveguides. While these waveguides are fairly efficient, in the amounts required to make real circuits this method would be impractically slow and prohibitively expensive. However, such waveguides could be made much more cheaply if means could be found to arrange colloidal nanoparticles on suitable substrates. In this project, nanoscale self-assembly has been investigated with the aim of achieving such ends. Colloidal nanoparticles have been synthesized and self-assembled onto substrates such that they show near field interactions necessary for plasmonic waveguiding without any aggregation. Absorption peak shifts, which were obtained during the experimental phase of this project confirmed that such nanoparticle assemblies can be achieved and that they do demonstrate some plasmonic waveguiding action. With this first step, it is hoped that films like these may find use for quick and cheap plasmonic waveguiding sometime in the near future. / Master of Science

No description available.

The Dielectric Loaded Surface Plasmon Polariton Waveguides (DLSPPWs) have recently emerged as a possible solution to carry both optical and electrical signals on- chip. However, in the particular context of optical interconnects, advanced functionalities such as filtering, switching, and routing are required in order to replace in the future the equivalent electronic components which are too much power consumer and also to reduce their footprints. After presenting the interest and limitation of the leakage radiation microscopy method used all along this work, we show several active devices using thermo-sensitive polymers as the dielectric load driven electrically by Joule heating. Then we demonstrate the feasibility of all-optical systems by either doping the dielectric with metallic nanoparticles or by plasmo-thermal eect of a second plasmonic mode providing a localized heating of controlled shape. The dynamic activation of our thermo- optical devices is performed using a homemade fiber-to-fiber setup which allows us to investigate the response time of a plasmo-thermal heating as well as true datacom transmission. Some improvements of the original DLSPPWs performances are proposed by adding a metallic wall on one side of the polymer ridge. This system can act as a compact and athermal polarization converter

Le but de cette thèse est de développer les outils numériques et semi-analytiques qui nous permettent d’étudier des guides non-linéaires complexes et réalistes qui pourraient être fabriqués et caractérisés expérimentalement.Nous présentons une étude complète d’une version améliorée du guide d’onde plasmonique non-linéaire à une dimension, en ajoutant deux couches tampons de diélectrique linéaire entre le cœur non-linéaire isotrope et les deux gaines métalliques. Ses couches réduisent les pertes et permettent leur diminution avec la puissance contrairement aux guides simples. De plus, les principaux modes plasmoniques non-linéaires peuvent présenter une transition spatiale vers des modes de types différents, qui peut être contrôlée par la puissance.Par la suite, nous étudions un nouveau guide plasmonique non-linéaire à fente utilisant un métamatériau, soit dans le cœur non-linéaire soit dans les gaines linéaires. Nous avons mis au point une méthode semi-analytique et une méthode numérique afin d’étudier les solutions stationnaires non-linéaires dans ce nouveau guide non-linéaire anisotrope. Nous avons montré analytiquement et numériquement que le cœur non-linéaire anisotrope peut être conçu afin d’atteindre de forts effets non-linéaires à faible puissance. Pour certains métamatériaux dans les gaines linéaires, la figure de mérite de ce guide d’onde augmente de plus de 50 fois par rapport aux guides isotropes.Pour conclure, nous présentons une nouvelle méthode basée sur la méthode des éléments finis de type vectoriel couplée à l’algorithme à puissance fixée pouvant calculer rigoureusement les effets non-linéaires dans des guides d’onde plasmoniques 2D. / The main goal of this PhD is to develop the semi-analytical and the numerical tools that allow us to study complicated and realistic nonlinear plasmonic waveguides which can be fabricated and characterized experimentally.First, we present a full study of an improved version of the one-dimensional nonlinear plasmonic slot waveguide, by adding two linear dielectric buffer layers between the isotropic nonlinear core and the two metal claddings. These additional layers reduce the overall losses and allow the losses to decrease with the power for some configurations unlike the usual slot. Furthermore, the main plasmonic modes can exhibit nonlinear spatial modal transitions towards new families of modes that can be controlled with the power.Second, we propose and study new one-dimensional nonlinear plasmonic slot waveguides with metamaterial regions either in the nonlinear core or in the linear claddings. For the metamaterial nonlinear core, we developed semi-analytical and fully numerical methods in order to study the nonlinear stationary solutions propagating in this anisotropic nonlinear waveguide. We have demonstrated both analytically and numerically that the anisotropic nonlinear core can be designed in order to achieve strong nonlinear effects at low power.For the structures with metamaterial linear claddings, the figure of merit can be extremely enhanced by more than 50 times compared with the simple one. Finally, we present the full derivation of a new nonlinear full vectorial finite element method based on the fixed power algorithm in order to quantify rigorously the nonlinear characteristics of realistic two-dimensional nonlinear plasmonic structures.

Les guides d’ondes plasmoniques à rubans dielectriques (DLSPPW) sont récemment apparus comme une des solutions possible pour le transport de signaux optiques et électriques sur puce. Néanmoins, dans le contexte particulier des interconnections optiques, des fonctionalitées avancées telles que filtrage, commutation, et routage sont nécessaires afin de remplacer dans le futur les composants electroniques équivalents trop gourmands en énergie et aussi réduire leur empreinte. Après une présentation des intérêts et limitations de la technique de micro- scopie à fuite radiative, nous montrons plusieurs composants actifs utilisant pour diélectrique des polymères thermo-sensibles controlés électriquement par eet Joule. Par la suite nous démontrons la faisabilité de systèmes tout optique que ce soit par dopage du polymère par des nanoparticules metalliques ou par eet thermo-plasmonique d’un second mode plasmon permettant un échauement localisé de forme choisie. L’activation dynamique de nos composants thermo-optiques est réalisée grâce à un montage fibre-à-fibre créé spécialement nous permettant d’investiguer le temps de réponse d’un chauage plasmonique ainsi que la transmission de signal télécom. Des améliorations de performances du concept DLSPPW original sont proposées par l’ajout d’un mur métallique sur le côté du ruban de polymère. Ce système peut alors fonctionner comme un convertisseur de polarisation compacte et athermique / The Dielectric Loaded Surface Plasmon Polariton Waveguides (DLSPPWs) have recently emerged as a possible solution to carry both optical and electrical signals on- chip. However, in the particular context of optical interconnects, advanced functionalities such as filtering, switching, and routing are required in order to replace in the future the equivalent electronic components which are too much power consumer and also to reduce their footprints. After presenting the interest and limitation of the leakage radiation microscopy method used all along this work, we show several active devices using thermo-sensitive polymers as the dielectric load driven electrically by Joule heating. Then we demonstrate the feasibility of all-optical systems by either doping the dielectric with metallic nanoparticles or by plasmo-thermal eect of a second plasmonic mode providing a localized heating of controlled shape. The dynamic activation of our thermo- optical devices is performed using a homemade fiber-to-fiber setup which allows us to investigate the response time of a plasmo-thermal heating as well as true datacom transmission. Some improvements of the original DLSPPWs performances are proposed by adding a metallic wall on one side of the polymer ridge. This system can act as a compact and athermal polarization converter

Manipulating light by controlling surface plasmons on metals is being discussed as a means for bridging the size gap between micrometer-sized photonic circuits and nanometer-sized integrated electronics. Plasmonic waveguides based on metal nanoparticles are of particular interest for circumventing the diffraction limit, thereby enabling high-speed communication over short-range distances in miniaturized micro-components. However, scalable, inexpensive fine-tuning of particle assemblies remains a challenge and near-field probing is required to reveal plasmonic interactions. In this thesis, self-assembled waveguides should be produced on DNA scaffolds. DNA origami is an extremely versatile and robust self-assembly method which allows scalable production of nanostructures with a fine control of assemblies at the nanoscale. To form the plasmonic waveguides, six-helix bundle DNA origami nanotubes are used as templates for attachment of highly monodisperse and monocrystalline gold nanoparticles with an inter-particle distance of 1-2 nm. In the first part of this thesis, the effects of parameters which are involved in assembly reactions are systematically investigated. The assembly yield and binding occupancy of the gold nanoparticles are determined by an automated, high-throughput image analysis of electron micrographs of the formed complexes. As a result, unprecedented binding site occupancy and assembly yield are achieved with the optimized synthesis protocol. In addition, waveguides with different sizes of gold nanoparticles and different inter-particle distances, quantum dots attachments to the waveguides and multimerization of the waveguides are successfully realized. In the second part of this thesis, direct observation of energy transport through a self-assembled waveguide towards a fluorescent nanodiamond is demonstrated. High-resolution, near-field mapping of the waveguides are studied by electron energy loss spectroscopy and cathodoluminescence imaging spectroscopy. The experimental and simulation results reveal that energy propagation through the waveguides is enabled by coupled surface plasmon modes. These surface plasmon modes are probed at high spatial and spectral resolutions. The scalable self-assembly approach presented here will enable the construction of complex, sub diffraction plasmonic devices for applications in high-speed optical data transmission, quantum information technology, and sensing. / Die Manipulation des Lichts durch die Kontrolle von Oberflächenplasmonen auf metallischen Oberflächen und Nanopartikeln gilt als vielversprechende Methode zur Überbrückung der Größen-Lücke zwischen Mikrometer-großen photonischen und nanometer-großen elektronischen Schaltkreisen. Plasmonische Wellenleiter basierend auf metallischen Nanopartikeln sind vom besonderen Interesse, da sie die Umgehung des Beugungslimits und somit eine Hochgeschwindigkeitskommunikation über kurze Distanzen in immer kleiner werdenden Schaltkreisen ermöglichen könnten. Allerdings ist die skalierbare und kostengünstige Anordnung von Partikeln eine große Herausforderung und es werden Nahfelduntersuchungen benötigt um plasmonische Interaktionen detektieren zu können. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die Selbstassemblierung von multi-partikel Wellenleitern auf DNA Gerüsten. Die Verwendung von DNA-Origami bietet eine äußerst vielseitige Plattform zur skalierbaren Herstellung von Nanostrukturen mittels Selbstassemblierung und ermöglicht eine präzise Kontrolle der Anordnungen im Nanobereich. Für den Aufbau der plasmonischen Wellenleiter werden DNA-Origami Nanoröhren, bestehend aus sechs Helices als Templat für die Anbindung von monodispersen und monokristallinen Goldnanopartikeln mit einem interpartikulären Abstand von 1-2 nm verwendet. Im ersten Abschnitt dieser Arbeit werden die beeinflussenden Faktoren dieser Assemblierungsreaktion systematisch untersucht. Die Ausbeute der assemblierten Strukturen und die Besetzung der Bindungsstellen werden durch eine automatisierte und effiziente Bildanalyse von Elektronenmikroskopieaufnahmen ausgewertet. Durch die Entwicklung eines optimierten Syntheseprotokolls werden bisher unerreichte Assemblierungsausbeuten ermöglicht. Zusätzlich erfolgen die experimentelle Realisierung von Strukturen mit verschieden großen Goldnanopartikeln und unterschiedlichen interpartikulären Abständen, sowie die Anbindung von Quantenpunkten an die Wellenleiter und eine Verknüpfung der assemblierten Strukturen. Der zweite Abschnitt dieser Dissertation befasst sich mit der Untersuchung des Energietransports in selbstassemblierten Wellenleitern über einen fluoreszierenden Nanodiamanten. Dazu erfolgen hochaufgelöste Nahfeldmessungen der Wellenleiter mittels Elektronenenergieverlustspektroskopie und Kathodolumineszenz-mikroskopie. Die experimentellen Ergebnisse und zusätzlich durchgeführte Simulationen bestätigen eine durch gekoppelte Oberflächenplasmonenmoden induzierte Weitergabe der Energie innerhalb des Wellenleiters. Diese Oberflächenplasmonenmoden werden bei hoher räumlicher und spektraler Auflösung untersucht. Das hier umgesetzte Konzept der Selbstassemblierung wird den Aufbau komplexer plasmonischer Geräte für Anwendungen im Bereich der optischen Hochgeschwindigkeitsdatenübertragung, der Quanteninformations-technolgie und der Sensorik ermöglichen.

Les plasmons-polaritons de surface (PPS) font figure de plateforme polyvalente très promet- teuse pour le guidage des ondes électromagnétiques à l’échelle nanométrique. Dans ce contexte, le contrôle dynamique de la propagation PPS est d’une importance capitale. Le contrôle actif des dispositifs plasmoniques a souvent été réalisé jusqu’à présent par le biais d’un effet thermo-optique (TO). Toutefois dans la majorité des cas considérés, l’effet thermo-optique résulte d’une modification des propriétés d’un matériaux diélectrique en contact avec le métal supportant le mode plasmon. Ainsi, le rôle des propriétés thermo-optiques du métal lui-même a rarement été analysé aux fréquences télécom dans le cadre d’applications plasmoniques. L’objectif principal de cette thèse est donc d’analyser en détail l’impact des propriétés thermo- optiques des métaux sur différents modes PPS aux longueurs d’ondes télécom. En premier lieu, nous considérons la modulation photo-thermique d’un mode plasmon supporté par un film mince d’or se propageant à l’interface "or/air". Nous démontrons tout d’abord la modulation de la propagation des modes PPS induite par la dépendance des pertes ohmiques de l’or à la température du film mince. Le contrôle de la température du film est obtenu par un effet photo-thermique en régime continu modulé. Les mesures expérimentales de la pro- fondeur de modulation de l’intensité des modes PPS combinées à la simulation numérique de la distribution de température le long du film d’or nous permettent de remonter aux coefficients thermo-optiques de l’or aux fréquences télécoms. Dans un second temps, nous considérons le contrôle thermo-optique de modes plasmons dont le confinement spatial (et donc l’indice effectif) est supérieur à ceux des modes de films. Les modes considérés dans cette seconde étude sont connus sous le nom de "polymer- loaded surface plasmon waveguides (PLSPPWs)". Ces modes présentent un confinement latéral induit par l’indice de réfraction du ruban de polymère déposés sur le film métallique et un confinement vertical résultant de leur nature plasmonique. L’excitation photo-thermique de ces guides plasmoniques dans un régime nano-seconde nous permet de mettre en évidence la dynamique thermo-optique du métal aux temps courts (<1ns) et du polymère aux temps plus longs (<1µs). La même démarche appliquée à un micro-résonateur plasmonique en anneau révèle les temps caractéristiques de la dynamique de diffusion de la chaleur dans le polymère à l’échelle de quelques dizaines de nanomètres. Sur la base de ces expériences, nous suggérons un design de dispositifs plasmoniques thermo-optique dont la bande passante est de l’ordre du megahertz, un ordre de grandeur au-dessus des systèmes thermo-optiques traditionnels. Enfin, nous présentons la modulation photo-thermique de la propagation PPS le long de nanofils d’or fabriqués par lithographie électronique supportant des modes plasmons très confinés aux longueurs d’onde télécom. La transmission d’un signal télécom à 10 Gbit/s est tout d’abord démontrée afin d’établir sans ambiguïté la pertinence de tels guides d’ondes miniatures pour la transmission d’informations à très courtes échelles. Enfin, nous mettons en évidence la modulation photo-thermique de la propagation de tels modes. En particulier, nous investiguons l’influence sur la profondeur de modulation de la polarisation du faisceau pompe relativement à l’orientation des nanofils. Cet effet de polarisation s’explique par une absorption exaltée si la polarisation du faisceau pompe est orientée perpendiculairement à l’axe du nanofil. L’exaltation résulte de l’excitation d’un mode plasmon local selon l’axe transverse du nanofil. / Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) is the promising versatile platform proposed for guiding electromagnetic waves at nanoscale dimensions. In this context dynamic control of SPPs prop- agation is of paramount importance. Thermo-optical (TO) effect is considered as an efficient technique for performing active control of plasmonic devices. Among the thermo-optical based plasmonic devices demonstrated so far TO coefficient is dominantly provided by a dielectric material on top of the metal sustaining the SPP mode, however, the role of TO properties of the metal has been rarely investigated for plasmonic applications especially at the telecom frequency ranges. Therefore, the aim of this thesis is to investigate in detail the impact of thermo-optical properties of metals onto various SPP modes at telecom wavelengths.First, we report on photo-thermal modulation of thin film SPP mode traveling at gold/air interface excited at telecom wavelengths. We start by investigating the photo-thermally in- duced modulation of SPPs propagation mediated by the temperature dependent ohmic losses in the gold film. Then we extract the thermo-plasmonic coefficient of the SPP mode from the accurately measured SPPs signal depth of modulation by which we could compute the thermo-optical coefficients (TOCs) of gold at telecom wavelength. Lastly, we demonstrate a pulsed photo-thermal excitation of the SPPs in the nanosecond regime.Secondly, we investigate the thermo-optical dynamics of polymer loaded surface plasmon waveguide (PLSPPW) based devices photo-thermally excited in the nanosecond regime. First, we demonstrate thermo-absorption of PLSPPW modes mediated by the temperature-dependent ohmic losses of the metal and the thermally controlled field distribution of the plasmon mode within the metal. Next, we consider the thermo-optical response of a PLSPPW based racetrack shaped resonator coupled to a straight bus waveguide and evaluate the photo-thermal activation through heating and cooling times. We conclude that nanosecond excitation combined to high thermal diffusivity materials opens the way to high speed thermo-optical plasmonic devices.Finally, we report on the photo-thermal modulation of SPPs propagation along litho- graphically fabricated gold nanowires sustaining highly confined plasmonic mode at telecom wavelengths. First, we investigate telecommunication characterization of the nanowires by ap- plying high bit rate signal transmission, 10 Gbit/s, through fiber-to-fiber confocal detection setup. Next, we demonstrate and evaluate the photo-thermal modulation of SPPs propagation along the nanowires where we discuss qualitatively TO effects due to light-induced modula- tions on nanowires and show the impact of the incident beam polarization on the photo-thermal modulation.

Manipulating light by controlling surface plasmons on metals is being discussed as a means for bridging the size gap between micrometer-sized photonic circuits and nanometer-sized integrated electronics. Plasmonic waveguides based on metal nanoparticles are of particular interest for circumventing the diffraction limit, thereby enabling high-speed communication over short-range distances in miniaturized micro-components. However, scalable, inexpensive fine-tuning of particle assemblies remains a challenge and near-field probing is required to reveal plasmonic interactions. In this thesis, self-assembled waveguides should be produced on DNA scaffolds. DNA origami is an extremely versatile and robust self-assembly method which allows scalable production of nanostructures with a fine control of assemblies at the nanoscale. To form the plasmonic waveguides, six-helix bundle DNA origami nanotubes are used as templates for attachment of highly monodisperse and monocrystalline gold nanoparticles with an inter-particle distance of 1-2 nm. In the first part of this thesis, the effects of parameters which are involved in assembly reactions are systematically investigated. The assembly yield and binding occupancy of the gold nanoparticles are determined by an automated, high-throughput image analysis of electron micrographs of the formed complexes. As a result, unprecedented binding site occupancy and assembly yield are achieved with the optimized synthesis protocol. In addition, waveguides with different sizes of gold nanoparticles and different inter-particle distances, quantum dots attachments to the waveguides and multimerization of the waveguides are successfully realized. In the second part of this thesis, direct observation of energy transport through a self-assembled waveguide towards a fluorescent nanodiamond is demonstrated. High-resolution, near-field mapping of the waveguides are studied by electron energy loss spectroscopy and cathodoluminescence imaging spectroscopy. The experimental and simulation results reveal that energy propagation through the waveguides is enabled by coupled surface plasmon modes. These surface plasmon modes are probed at high spatial and spectral resolutions. The scalable self-assembly approach presented here will enable the construction of complex, sub diffraction plasmonic devices for applications in high-speed optical data transmission, quantum information technology, and sensing. / Die Manipulation des Lichts durch die Kontrolle von Oberflächenplasmonen auf metallischen Oberflächen und Nanopartikeln gilt als vielversprechende Methode zur Überbrückung der Größen-Lücke zwischen Mikrometer-großen photonischen und nanometer-großen elektronischen Schaltkreisen. Plasmonische Wellenleiter basierend auf metallischen Nanopartikeln sind vom besonderen Interesse, da sie die Umgehung des Beugungslimits und somit eine Hochgeschwindigkeitskommunikation über kurze Distanzen in immer kleiner werdenden Schaltkreisen ermöglichen könnten. Allerdings ist die skalierbare und kostengünstige Anordnung von Partikeln eine große Herausforderung und es werden Nahfelduntersuchungen benötigt um plasmonische Interaktionen detektieren zu können. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist die Selbstassemblierung von multi-partikel Wellenleitern auf DNA Gerüsten. Die Verwendung von DNA-Origami bietet eine äußerst vielseitige Plattform zur skalierbaren Herstellung von Nanostrukturen mittels Selbstassemblierung und ermöglicht eine präzise Kontrolle der Anordnungen im Nanobereich. Für den Aufbau der plasmonischen Wellenleiter werden DNA-Origami Nanoröhren, bestehend aus sechs Helices als Templat für die Anbindung von monodispersen und monokristallinen Goldnanopartikeln mit einem interpartikulären Abstand von 1-2 nm verwendet. Im ersten Abschnitt dieser Arbeit werden die beeinflussenden Faktoren dieser Assemblierungsreaktion systematisch untersucht. Die Ausbeute der assemblierten Strukturen und die Besetzung der Bindungsstellen werden durch eine automatisierte und effiziente Bildanalyse von Elektronenmikroskopieaufnahmen ausgewertet. Durch die Entwicklung eines optimierten Syntheseprotokolls werden bisher unerreichte Assemblierungsausbeuten ermöglicht. Zusätzlich erfolgen die experimentelle Realisierung von Strukturen mit verschieden großen Goldnanopartikeln und unterschiedlichen interpartikulären Abständen, sowie die Anbindung von Quantenpunkten an die Wellenleiter und eine Verknüpfung der assemblierten Strukturen. Der zweite Abschnitt dieser Dissertation befasst sich mit der Untersuchung des Energietransports in selbstassemblierten Wellenleitern über einen fluoreszierenden Nanodiamanten. Dazu erfolgen hochaufgelöste Nahfeldmessungen der Wellenleiter mittels Elektronenenergieverlustspektroskopie und Kathodolumineszenz-mikroskopie. Die experimentellen Ergebnisse und zusätzlich durchgeführte Simulationen bestätigen eine durch gekoppelte Oberflächenplasmonenmoden induzierte Weitergabe der Energie innerhalb des Wellenleiters. Diese Oberflächenplasmonenmoden werden bei hoher räumlicher und spektraler Auflösung untersucht. Das hier umgesetzte Konzept der Selbstassemblierung wird den Aufbau komplexer plasmonischer Geräte für Anwendungen im Bereich der optischen Hochgeschwindigkeitsdatenübertragung, der Quanteninformations-technolgie und der Sensorik ermöglichen.