Coupling enhanced reflection in plasmonic arrays for enhanced infrared spectrum detection

Plasmonics paves the way for controlling electromagnetic waves at the nanoscale by coupling light to coherent electronic excitations (surface plasmon resonances, SPRs) at the interface between dielectric and metallic materials. Plasmonic resonances in metallic nanostructures have drawn increasing attention because of their extensive applications, including waveguides, microscopies, sensors, lasers, and light emitting diodes. The strong confinement of light associated with surface plasmon resonances can give rise to the fast development of different kinds of sub-wavelength photonic components and devices. The photon-electron excitations allow solid confinement of the electromagnetic waves to nanoscale dimensions which may lead to strong field enhancement. To manipulate the plasmonic resonances, diversified designs have been used to modify the features, sizes, and spacing of the metallic structures. In comparison with these physical approaches, varying the separations of optically functional nanoelements is a m