Tri-layered composite plasmonic structure with a nanohole array for multiband enhanced absorption at visible to NIR frequencies: plasmonic and metamaterial resonances

Abstract

A tri-layered composite structure of gold/ZnS/gold, with the top gold layer patterned into a periodic array of circular holes, was fabricated by laser interference lithography and lift-off processes. This plasmonic composite absorbing structure showed a series of enhanced absorption peaks across the visible to NIR frequencies with an peak absorption exceeding 95% at 0.52 μm wavelength. These absorption peaks were reproduced in electromagnetic simulations of the structures. The peaks are shown to arise from the various resonances of the system: the localized surface plasmon resonances of the holes, the surface plasmon polaritons on the various interfaces and the shape dependent electromagnetic resonances of the holes. The measured angular dispersion of the absorption peaks indicated the SPP origin of the resonances while the computer simulations of the electromagnetic fields could be used to understand the nature of the localized resonances.