Dependence of resonant light transmission properties of a subwavelength slit on structural parameters

We perform a systematic study of the resonant transmission of visible and near-infrared (NIR) light through a single subwavelength slit in a gold film when the parameters defining the structure are varied. We further examine the optical properties of a related nanostructure, a cross with subwavelength sized features. Focused ion beam (FIB) milling was used to fabricate nanoslits and crosses with linewidths ranging from 26 nm to 85 nm. The dimensions of the structure are found to affect strongly the transmittance spectrum. For example, as the slit becomes narrower the resonance is observed to both sharpen and shift significantly. Our observations are in good agreement with our earlier numerical calculations on the optical properties of nanoslits.