6533b851fe1ef96bd12aa2be

RESEARCH PRODUCT

How light gets through periodically nanostructured metal films: a role of surface polaritonic crystals

F. De FornelL. SalomonAnatoly V. Zayats

subject

HistologyMaterials sciencebusiness.industryPhononSurface plasmonPhysics::OpticsDielectricSurface plasmon polaritonPathology and Forensic MedicineCondensed Matter::Materials ScienceOpticsPolaritonOptoelectronicsbusinessScalingQuantum tunnellingPhotonic crystal

description

The physical origin of the enhanced optical transmission of periodically structured films related to surface plasmon polaritons is discussed from first principles. The enhancement of transmission through smooth, randomly rough and periodically nanostructured films is considered. Analysis shows that any metal (or dielectric) nanostructured film can exhibit enhanced transmission in certain spectral ranges corresponding to surface plasmon (or phonon) polariton Bloch mode states on a periodic structure. Resonant tunnelling via these states is responsible for the transmission enhancement. The properties of surface polaritonic crystals are analogous to those of photonic crystals and can find numerous applications for scaling down optical devices to nanometric dimensions as well as for designing novel nanostructured materials whose optical properties are determined by surface polariton interaction in a periodic structure.

https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2818.2003.01161.x