Abstract

Plasmonic nano-antennas have recently attracted much attention owing to their preferable optical properties [1]. They are composed of metallic nano-structures and have the ability to receive and emit light ranging from infrared to ultraviolet. Besides size scale, other significant differences from common RF antennas are that plasmonic nano-antennas can strongly confine light within sub-wavelength regions and realize extraordinary field enhancement by orders of magnitude. This is attributed to the coupling of the electromagnetic wave and the collective movement of free electrons at the metal surface, leading to the excitation of surface plasmon from which the word “plasmonic” derives.

© 2014 Japan Society of Applied Physics, Optical Society of America