Scalable Method for the Fabrication and Testing of
Glass-Filled, Three-Dimensionally Sculpted Extraordinary Transmission
Apertures
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Abstract
This
Letter
features a new, scalable fabrication method and experimental
characterization of glass-filled apertures exhibiting extraordinary
transmission. These apertures are fabricated with sizes, aspect ratios,
shapes, and side-wall profiles previously impossible to create. The
fabrication method presented utilizes top-down lithography to etch
silicon nanostructures. These nanostructures are oxidized to provide
a transparent template for the deposition of a plasmonic metal. Gold
is deposited around these structures, reflowed, and the surface is
planarized. Finally, a window is etched through the substrate to provide
optical access. Among the structures created and tested are apertures
with height to diameter aspect ratios of 8:1, constructed with rectangular,
square, cruciform, and coupled cross sections, with tunable polarization
sensitivity and displaying unique properties based on their sculpted
side-wall shape. Transmission data from these aperture arrays is collected
and compared to examine the role of spacing, size, and shape on their
overall spectral response. The structures this Letter describes can
have a variety of novel applications from the creation of new types
of light sources to massively multiplexed biosensors to subdiffraction
limit imaging techniques