Open AccessNumerical prediction of minimum sub-diffraction-limit image generated by silver surface plasmon lenses
Author(s) -
Masafumi Fujii,
W. Freude,
Juerg Leuthold
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.16.021039
Subject(s) - optics , finite difference time domain method , surface plasmon , diffraction , materials science , surface plasmon polariton , wavelength , plasmon , dielectric , reflection (computer programming) , optoelectronics , physics , computer science , programming language
Sub-diffraction-limit imaging by the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) induced in thin metal film lenses has been analyzed numerically. The SPP images are deteriorated by interference of plasmon fields in layered metal-dielectric structures. To obtain a clear imaging capability, the reflection and the transmission property of evanescent waves in the layered structures has been investigated by the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. For verification, a full 3-dimensional analysis of large-scale layered structures demonstrated sub-wavelength images similar to those obtained in the recently reported experiments. The analysis has been extended further to a lithography of nano-scale images to predict the minimum possible size of the images resolved by the silver thin film lenses.