Surface plasmon coupling enhanced dielectric environment sensitivity in a quasi-three-dimensional metallic nanohole array

Opt Express. 2010 Feb 15;18(4):3546-55. doi: 10.1364/OE.18.003546.

Abstract

An enhanced dielectric environment response is observed in a kind of metallic nanohole arrays which are prepared by metal deposition on a sacrificial two dimensional colloidal crystal template. The periodic metallic structures are composed of interlinked metallic half-shells supported on a planar dielectric substrate. When putting in dielectric matrix of different refractive index, the measured sensitivity of the quasi-three-dimensional metallic nanohole array can reach a value of 1192 nm per refractive index unit which shows a five-fold increase as compared with the metallic structures supported on the template. The observed boost in sensitivity is found to originate from a substantially reduced substrate effect, resulting in a pronounced surface plasmon coupling of which its strength is independent of the dielectric environment, a characteristics absent in conventional planar metallic subwavelength hole arrays. These findings are analyzed theoretically and confirmed by numerical simulations.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Computer Simulation
  • Equipment Design
  • Equipment Failure Analysis
  • Metals / chemistry*
  • Models, Chemical*
  • Nanostructures / chemistry*
  • Nanostructures / ultrastructure*
  • Nanotechnology / instrumentation*
  • Surface Plasmon Resonance / instrumentation*

Substances

  • Metals