Plasmon-mediated visible and near-infrared transmission through sub-30-nm holes in metal films: potential in solar energy applications

Geoffrey B. Smith; Sijmen Gerritsen; Moazzem Hossain; Geoffrey McCredie

doi:10.1117/12.448263

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13 November 2001 Plasmon-mediated visible and near-infrared transmission through sub-30-nm holes in metal films: potential in solar energy applications

Geoffrey B. Smith, Sijmen Gerritsen, Moazzem Hossain, Geoffrey McCredie

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Proceedings Volume 4458, Solar and Switching Materials; (2001) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.448263
Event: International Symposium on Optical Science and Technology, 2001, San Diego, CA, United States

Abstract

The recent discovery that electromagnetic radiation can transmit super-efficiently through sub-wavelength holes in metal films and thin metal foils has implications for solar energy and energy efficiency technologies, especially thin metal films and metal particle arrays. The effect involves light induced surface plasmons coupling through the holes to form new states which can resonantly absorb and re-emit photons. They are a virtual bound state for photons. The material must have a dielectric constant below -1, and for noble metals enhancement is strong beyond (lambda) approximately 0.7 micrometers , with a long wavelength limit set by absorption losses, well into the black body spectral range. In aluminium the strong onset is in the visible. Thus control of solar heat gain and thermal radiation can utilize this effect. Broad band or narrow band spectral selectivity are possible, depending on metal thickness and how the holes are arranged with respect to each other. Very interesting effects occur in multilayers, with standard multilayer thin film optics not applying when this phenomena is present. An admittance approach to handling thin film optics in the presence of surface plasmon coupling is addressed.

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Geoffrey B. Smith, Sijmen Gerritsen, Moazzem Hossain, and Geoffrey McCredie "Plasmon-mediated visible and near-infrared transmission through sub-30-nm holes in metal films: potential in solar energy applications", Proc. SPIE 4458, Solar and Switching Materials, (13 November 2001); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.448263

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