Scattering suppression in plasmonic optics using a simple two-layer dielectric structure

We demonstrate that a planar structure consisting of two isotropic dielectric layers can be used to minimize parasitic scattering in plasmonic elements. It is shown using rigorous electromagnetic simulations that the utilization of the proposed structure allows reducing the scattering losses by an order-of-magnitude (1%-2%). The proposed approach can be used for the design of various plasmonic elements such as lenses, reflectors, and plasmonic crystals. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3597620]