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Extraordinary infrared transmission through a periodic bowtie aperture array
1School of Mechanical Engineering and Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA.
Optics Letters
|April 6, 2010
Summary
Bowtie apertures enable over 85% light transmission, exceeding previous studies. This extraordinary transmission is achieved through waveguide modes, not surface plasmon polaritons or Rayleigh-Wood anomalies.
Area of Science:
- Photonics and Nanotechnology
- Optics and Light Manipulation
Background:
- Extraordinary transmission through periodic apertures is a significant research area.
- Previous studies often used circular apertures, attributing high transmission to surface plasmon polariton (SPP) resonances or Rayleigh-Wood anomalies (RWA).
- Bowtie apertures offer unique light-concentrating properties and tunable resonant behavior.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the transmission characteristics of bowtie aperture arrays.
- To determine the underlying physical mechanisms responsible for enhanced transmission in bowtie apertures.
- To explore the potential of bowtie apertures for efficient light manipulation.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication and characterization of periodic bowtie aperture arrays.
- Measurement of optical transmission spectra in the infrared (IR) wavelength range.
- Theoretical analysis to identify the dominant transmission phenomena.
Main Results:
- Bowtie aperture arrays demonstrated total transmission exceeding 85%, significantly higher than the open area.
- The observed high transmission was attributed to waveguide modes within the apertures.
- This contrasts with the commonly accepted explanations involving SPP/RWA phenomena.
Conclusions:
- Bowtie apertures are highly effective structures for achieving extraordinary optical transmission.
- Waveguide modes, rather than SPP/RWA, are the primary mechanism for high transmission in these bowtie arrays.
- The findings are applicable to IR wavelengths and can be extended to optical frequencies for various applications.
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