Antireflection layers in low-scattering plasmonic optics

• We propose and study numerically antireflection layers for plasmonic optics.
• Surface plasmon reflectance can be decreased by several orders of magnitude.
• Simultaneous suppression of parasitic scattering of surface plasmon can be achieved.
• Proposed approach is applied to the design of a plasmonic microlens array.

Antireflection layers for plasmonic optical elements analogous to conventional antireflection coatings are proposed and numerically investigated. It is shown that the average surface plasmon reflectance can be decreased by several orders of magnitude simultaneously with the suppression of the parasitic scattering of the surface plasmon energy. The application of the proposed approach to a binary plasmonic microlens array is considered as an example. The presented approach can be used for the design of other plasmonic elements working in transmission.