Open AccessExtraordinary low transmission effects for ultra-thin patterned metal films
Author(s) -
David Reibold,
Feng Shao,
Andreas Erdmann,
Ulf Peschel
Publication year - 2009
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.17.000544
Subject(s) - materials science , thin film , optics , surface plasmon , wavelength , transmission (telecommunications) , extraordinary optical transmission , plasmon , metal , optoelectronics , surface plasmon polariton , nanotechnology , telecommunications , physics , computer science , metallurgy
Thin metal films show a residual transmission for light in the visible and UV spectral range. This transmission can be strongly reduced by an appropriate sub-wavelength patterning of the metal film. Our investigation is focused on metal films with a thickness much below 100nm, where the transmission response is dominated by the individual posts acting like antennas and cannot be attributed to the excitation of surface plasmons. The almost complete suppression of transmission for ultra-thin metal films depends mainly on the absorber width, but not on the pitch of the pattern. The effect is robust with respect to imperfections of the geometry or larger features imprinted into the sub-wavelength pattern.