Abstract

The properties of surface electromagnetic modes associated with multi-layer thin films continues to be a subject of interest. Particular attention has been given to the resonances associated with coupled surface plasmons which propagate on opposite sides of a thick metal film bounded by dielectrics with the same index of refraction. Of the two modes, corresponding to symmetric and antisymmetric magnetic field profiles, the former has a surprisingly low attenuation for a sufficiently thin metal film and has been named the long-range surface plasmon (LRSP) while the latter has been named the short-range surface plasmon (SRSP).⁽¹⁾ Recent attention has focused on the use of grating structures for coupling to the LRSP mode. Attenuated total reflectance (ATR) from a thin silver grating multi-layer structure has recently been reported.⁽²⁾

© 1989 Optical Society of America