Split-cross antenna based narrowband mid-infrared absorber for sensing applications

•Achieved an optimized linewidth of 39 nm at 3.17 μm with near unity absorption.•The structure can be used to achieve polarization control of infrared detection.•The structure can go through realistic nanofabrication processes.

We have investigated numerically a narrowband near unity mid-infrared absorber based on a periodic array of gold split cross antenna backed by a dielectric spacer and a gold backmirror. We systematically studied the spectral dependence on the antenna parameters and explored the optimized parameters for nanofabrication. The optimized structure has a linewidth of 39 nm at 3.17 µm and the peak absorption is 96.5%. This can be explained in terms of surface lattice resonance of the periodic structure. The investigated structure can be devised as a mid-infrared refractive index sensor. Due to the strong near field enhancement and spectral dependence on the surface dielectric conditions, the narrow linewidth arises from the coupled plasmonic-photonic modes in the structure and has potential applications in plasmonic biosensing.