Extraordinary Optical Transmission by Hybrid Phonon-Plasmon Polaritons Using hBN Embedded in Plasmonic Nanoslits

Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) exhibits natural hyperbolic dispersion in the infrared (IR) wavelength spectrum. In particular, the hybridization of its hyperbolic phonon polaritons (HPPs) and surface plasmon resonances (SPRs) induced by metallic nanostructures is expected to serve as a new platform for novel light manipulation. In this study, the transmission properties of embedded hBN in metallic one-dimensional (1D) nanoslits were theoretically investigated using a rigorous coupled wave analysis method. Extraordinary optical transmission (EOT) was observed in the type-II Reststrahlen band, which was attributed to the hybridization of HPPs in hBN and SPRs in 1D nanoslits. The calculated electric field distributions indicated that the unique Fabry-Perot-like resonance was induced by the hybridization of HPPs and SPRs in an embedded hBN cavity. The trajectory of the confined light was a zigzag owing to the hyperbolicity of hBN, and its resonance number depended primarily on the aspect ratio of the 1D nanoslit. Such an EOT is also independent of the slit width and incident angle of light. These findings can not only assist in the development of improved strategies for the extreme confinement of IR light but may also be applied to ultrathin optical filters, advanced photodetectors, and optical devices.

Automated summary

The study found that embedded hexagonal boron nitride in metallic nanoslits exhibits extraordinary optical transmission phenomena in the infrared spectrum, attributed to the hybridization of HPPs and SPRs. The calculated electric field distribution indicates that the phenomenon is due to the unique resonance induced by the hybridization of HPPs and SPRs.