PLASMONIC FABRY-PEROT FILTER

• US 20100053755A1
• Filed: 12/21/2007
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NanoLambda, Inc.
• Original Assignee: NanoLambda, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Byounghee, Choi, Byung Il
• Granted Patent: US 8,274,739 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 359/577
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/008 Surface plasmon devices diffractive gratings with a pitch less than or comparable to the wavelength G02B5/1809; surface plasmons in integrated optics G02B6/1226; optical analysis of materials by means of surface plasmons G01N21/553
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 5/284 of etalon type comprising a resonant cavity other than a thin solid film, e.g. gas, air, solid plates etalons for fibre optic multiplexing G02B6/29358; etalons for spectral measurement G01J3/26
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/1226 involving surface plasmon interaction
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133521 Interference filters

Abstract

A plasmonic Fabry-Perot filter includes a first partial mirror and a second partial mirror separated from the first partial mirror by a gap. At least one of the first partial mirror or the second partial mirror includes an integrated plasmonic optical filter array.

Claims

1. A plasmonic Fabry-Perot filter comprising:

a first partial mirror; and

a second partial mirror separated from the first partial mirror by a gap;

wherein at least one of the first partial mirror or the second partial mirror further comprises an integrated plasmonic optical filter array.

2. A filter set forth in claim 1, wherein the plasmonic optical filter array comprises a plurality of metal islands, or multiple apertures in a metal film or a metal embossing array on a metal film.

3. A filter set forth in claim 1, wherein said plurality of metal islands, multiple apertures in metal film or metal embossing array on a metal film are configured such that the incident light is resonant with at least one plasmon mode on the structures in said metal film or metal islands;

and the predetermined wavelength will perturb the metallic plasmonic structures in surface plasmon energy bands for the wavelength selective transmission of light.

4. A filter as set forth in claim 1, wherein the plasmonic optical filter array functions as a channel selection filter such that only one peak from a Fabry-Perot cavity etalon filter passes through the plasmonic Fabry-Perot filter.

5. A filter as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first partial mirror or the second partial mirror or both are located on an optically transparent substrate.

6. A filter as set forth in claim 1, wherein the gap between the first partial mirror and the second partial mirror comprises vacuum or is filled with an optically transparent dielectric material.

7. A filter as set forth in claim 1, wherein a height of the gap between the first partial mirror and the second partial mirror is remains constant or changes along a width of the filter.

8. A filter as set forth in claim 7, wherein the first mirror or both the first and the second mirrors are tilted with respect to an imaginary center line extending through the gap in the width direction of the filter.

9. An integrated plasmonic Fabry-Perot filter comprising:

(a) a Fabry-Perot cavity etalon filter comprising two partial mirrors separated by a gap; and

(b) a plasmonic metal channel selection filter;

wherein the plasmonic metal channel selection filter is integrated into one or both of the partial mirrors of the Fabry-Perot cavity etalon filter.

10. A filter as set forth in claim 9, wherein one or both partial mirrors of the Fabry-Perot cavity etalon filter consist of the plasmonic metal channel selection filter.

11. An optical filtering method comprising:

providing incident light onto an integrated plasmonic Fabry-Perot filter comprising (a) a Fabry-Perot cavity etalon filter comprising two partial mirrors separated by a gap and (b) a plasmonic metal channel selection filter; and

transmitting the light through the integrated filter, such that transmitted light is filtered;

wherein only one of a plurality of different wavelength Fabry-Perot peaks or bands coexisting at a given width position of the filter is transmitted through the filter.

12. The method as set forth in claim 11, wherein only a single wavelength peak or band at each width position of the integrated filter is transmitted through the integrated filter.