Blue-shift of surface plasmon resonance in a metal nanoslit array structure

The adsorption of a self-assembled monolayer of molecules on a metal surface commonly causes a red-shift in its surface plasmon resonance. We report that the anomalous dispersion of surface plasmons in a Au nanoslit array structure can cause a blue-shift of optical transmission upon adsorption of a non-absorbing self-assembled monolayer of molecules. We develop a simple model that explains the blue-shift observed in the transmission spectra with monolayer adsorption in terms of the interplay of anomalous dispersion and the cavity resonance of surface plasmons in the nanoslit array.