Metal-dielectric composite optical structures with novel dynamic tunable localized surface-plasmonic effects

Abstract

A tunable MEMS sub-wavelength surface plasmonic apparatus is proposed based on localized surface-plasmon resonance effects. Optical tunneling is obtained through Surface Plasmon Polaritons (SPP) and Localized Surface Plasmon (LSP) by using a periodic sub-wavelength narrow-grooved metal-dielectric-metal (MDM) composite structure. Only p-polarized light can excite the SPP and LSP resonantly. The excited LSP mode with a strong field enhancement at the incident side grooves, resonantly excites the LSP mode on the other side of the thin structure. Then, with matched radiative modes, photons are radiated and tunneled. Nano/micro electromechanical actuation of small elastic deformations makes it possible to dynamically tune the localized surface plasmons via shape changes. Numerical simulations based on the Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) method are carried out on sub-wavelength structures and the results discussed. The MDM concept provides a new method to achieve real-time, dynamic tunable control and manipulation of light transmission and reflection via LSP which is different from novel tunable SPP apparatus where refractive index modulation is obtained using a voltage-controlled liquid crystal or tunable spaced air-gapped micro-prisms 1-3 based on a convential SPP arrangement. This is important for the manipulation of LSP and plasmonic device design applications. Furthermore, a proposed Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) sensor mechanism with MDM-LSPR are demonstrated with numerical results. We believe that the MDM-LSPR is a novel principle for LSPR sensors in dielectric sensing for chemical or biologic applications which compares to current LSPR sensors with nano-particle LSPR and nanosphere lithography (NSL) 4-6 .