Optical absorption by surface plasmons in deep sub-wavelength channels

The interaction of visible light with surface plasmons in a periodic array of silver channels is studied experimentally and theoretically. Channels of width 130 nm and depth 280 nm on a pitch of 468 nm were fabricated using electron beam lithography. Measurements of the reflectance of the channels show strong absorption for a specific angle of incidence at a given wavelength of the light. It is shown using a simple geometric model that this is consistent with the excitation and propagation of surface plasmons in the deep sub-wavelength channels. A numerical simulation of the electromagnetic fields excited in the channels confirms this result.