Provided is an optical waveguide device including: a core having a stacked
structure of at least three layers in which first thin films having a
finite width and thickness and formed of a material having a relatively
high electric conductivity and a second thin film having the same width
as the first thin films and formed of a material having a lower
conductivity than the material forming the first thin films are stacked
in sequence, the first thin films being disposed in a first layer and an
uppermost layer and adjacent to each other for interaction of surface
plasmons; and a clad disposed around the core and formed of a material
having a lower conductivity than the material forming the first thin
films and a higher refractive index than the material forming the second
thin film. The thin metal films of at least two layers having a high
electric conductivity in the optical waveguide device can generate a
combined surface plasmon mode and propagate the generated surface plasmon
mode in the length direction of the thin metal films. Thus, a propagated
signal suffers from a smaller propagation loss than a surface plasmon
mode supported by a single thin film.