title: Numerical prediction of minimum sub-diffraction-limit image generated by silver surface plasmon lenses.
abstract: Sub-diffraction-limit imaging by the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) induced in thin metal film lenses has been analyzed numerically. The SPP images are deteriorated by interference of plasmon fields in layered metal-dielectric structures. To obtain a clear imaging capability, the reflection and the transmission property of evanescent waves in the layered structures has been investigated by the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. For verification, a full 3-dimensional analysis of large-scale layered structures demonstrated sub-wavelength images similar to those obtained in the recently reported experiments. The analysis has been extended further to a lithography of nano-scale images to predict the minimum possible size of the images resolved by the silver thin film lenses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Electric, Electronic and System Engineering, University of Toyama, 3190 Gofuku, Toyama, 930-8555 Japan. mfujii@eng.u-toyama.ac.jp
authors.forename: Masafumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fujii
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Freude
authors.forename: Juerg
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Leuthold
mesh_terms: D003198:Computer Simulation; D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D007909:Lenses; D008027:Light; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012031:Refractometry / Q000295:instrumentation*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012834:Silver / Q000737:chemistry*; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance / Q000295:instrumentation*
chemical_list: D012834:Silver