Mid-infrared plasmonic filter arrays using nanoholes in gold and silver films

Plasmonic filters based on subwavelength nanohole arrays are an attractive solution for creating arrays of filters with varying passbands in a single lithography step. In this work, we have developed a fabrication method which allows fabrication of nanohole arrays in silver by use of a thin layer of aluminum oxide, which serves the dual purpose of both capping layer and hardmask for metal patterning. We demonstrate arrays of gold and silver mid-infrared plasmonic filters, fabricated on silicon, intended for use in optical filter blocks or for future integration with infrared imagers. The filter arrays are designed for the wavelength range 2–7 µm, and exhibit peak filter transmission efficiencies around 70%.