Multispectral Detection with Metal-Dielectric Filters: An Investigation in Several Wavelength Bands with Temporal Coupled-Mode Theory

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Multispectral infrared (IR) detection is of great interest to enhance our ability to gather information from a scene. Filtering is a low-cost alternative to the complex multispectral device architectures to which the IR community has devoted much attention. Multilayer dielectric filters are standard in industry, but they require changing the thickness of at least one layer to tune the wavelength. Here, we pursue an approach based on apertures in a metallic layer of fixed thickness, in which the filtered wavelengths are selected by varying the aperture geometry. In particular, we study filters made of at least one sheet of resonating apertures in metal embedded in dielectrics. We will discuss two interesting problems that arise when one attempts to design such filters. First, metallic absorption must be taken into account. Second, the form and size of the pattern is limited by lithography. We will present some design examples and an attempt at explaining the filtering behavior based on the temporal coupled mode theory. That theory models the filter as a resonator interacting with the environment via loss channels. The transmission is solely determined by the loss rates associated with those channels. This model allows us to give a general picture of the filtering performance and compare their characteristics at different wavelength bands.