Abstract
The use of transfer-matrix analyses for characterizing planar optical superlensing systems is studied here, and the simple model of the planar superlens as an isolated imaging element is shown to be defective in certain situations. These defects arise due to neglected interactions between the superlens and the spatially varying shadow masks that are normally used as scattering objects for imaging, and which are held in near-field proximity to the superlenses. An extended model is proposed that improves the accuracy of the transfer-matrix analysis, without adding significant complexity, by approximating the reflections from the shadow mask by those from a uniform metal layer. Results obtained using both forms of the transfer matrix model are compared to finite element models and two example superlenses, one with a silver monolayer and the other with three silver sublayers, are characterized. The modified transfer matrix model gives much better agreement in both cases.
Highlights
Optical superlenses [1] have been the subject of several significant and important predictions in recent times: minimum resolution well below the operating wavelength [1,2] and improved resolution for multi-layer structures compared to single-layer equivalents [3,4] have been predicted, based to a large degree on the results of analytical studies [5,6,7]
This paper aims to address the quantitative accuracy of analytical superlens models by comparing the results of a popular model [4,6,12,13] consisting of isolated superlenses within a transfer-matrix method (TMM) framework to rigorous, fully-coupled solutions of Maxwell’s equations obtained via finite element modeling (FEM) [14]
We find significant quantitative differences between TMM analysis and FEM results, which we attribute to near-field masksuperlens interactions that are not accounted for in the simple system models normally used in TMM studies
Summary
Optical superlenses [1] have been the subject of several significant and important predictions in recent times: minimum resolution well below the operating wavelength [1,2] and improved resolution for multi-layer structures compared to single-layer equivalents [3,4] have been predicted, based to a large degree on the results of analytical studies [5,6,7]. This paper aims to address the quantitative accuracy of analytical superlens models by comparing the results of a popular model [4,6,12,13] consisting of isolated superlenses within a transfer-matrix method (TMM) framework to rigorous, fully-coupled solutions of Maxwell’s equations obtained via finite element modeling (FEM) [14]. We find significant quantitative differences between TMM analysis and FEM results, which we attribute to near-field masksuperlens interactions that are not accounted for in the simple system models normally used in TMM studies. We propose a modified transfer-matrix model (M-TMM) that can treat such mask-superlens interactions approximately, and we compare M-TMM- and FEM-generated data sets to quantify the improved accuracy that results
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