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IOP PUBLISHING JOURNAL OF OPTICS
J. Opt. 12 (2010) 015004 (5pp) doi:10.1088/2040-8978/12/1/015004

Theory of extraordinary light

transmission through sub-wavelength
circular hole arrays
Meng Zhang1 , Cheng-ping Huang1,2 , Guo-dong Wang1 and
Yong-yuan Zhu1,3
1
National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093,
People’s Republic of China
2
Department of Applied Physics, Nanjing University of Technology, Nanjing 210009,
People’s Republic of China

E-mail: yyzhu@nju.edu.cn

Received 4 September 2009, accepted for publication 2 November 2009

Published 24 November 2009
Online at stacks.iop.org/JOpt/12/015004

Abstract
The light transmission through a square array of circular holes in a metal film has been studied
theoretically, taking into account the diffraction modes and the surface plasmons. The
calculations are in good agreement with experimental results. By studying the dependence of
the transmission spectrum on the structural parameters of the hole array, we show that the
transmission peaks are strongly correlated with the waveguide modes inside the cylindrical
holes. Associated with the propagation characteristics (propagating or evanescent) of the
waveguide modes, Fabry–Perot resonance in the circular holes or extended surface resonance
on the metal films would give rise to the transmission peaks.

Keywords: surface plasmons, metal, guided waves

(Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version)

1. Introduction
Much work has been focused on the extraordinary light
transmission through a metal film perforated with sub-
wavelength hole arrays since this surprising effect was found
in 1998 [1]. The observed transmission efficiency is much
larger than was expected and is difficult to understand with
the standard aperture theory, thus generating great theoretical
interest among scientists. Moreover, this unusual phenomenon
may lead to various potential applications in photonic devices,
including sub-wavelength light sources, near-field probes, filter
devices, and so on [2, 3].
In order to reveal the underlying physics, theoretical
analysis of extraordinary light transmission is useful. Although
the original experimental findings were based on circular
holes, subsequent theoretical calculations have been performed
using square or rectangular holes [4, 5]. A comparison has
been made between the theoretical results dealing with square
3 Author to whom any correspondence should be addressed.
holes and the experimental results for circular holes, taking
the square side as the square root of the experimental hole
area. However, direct comparison between the analytical and
experimental results for the same circular holes may yield
better insight into the mechanism involved. Some progress
has been achieved with analytical treatment or numerical
simulations in the case of circular holes [6–8]. The theoretical
calculation in [6] has captured the basic physics involved and
gives a good prediction of the transmission peaks and dips.
However, the metal wall defining the holes was treated as a
perfect conductor and the predicted peaks are always much
narrower. Recently, Shin et al investigated the mode dispersion
of a plasmonic circular waveguide, based on which the light
transmission for a single hole and that for a hole array with an
ultrasmall lattice period have been simulated, using the finite-
difference time-domain (FDTD) method [8].
The aim of this paper is to analytically study the light
transmission of metal films perforated with a square array of
circular holes. The cylindrical hole walls and film surface have

2040-8978/10/015004+05$30.00 1 © 2010 IOP Publishing Ltd Printed in the UK

J. Opt. 12 (2010) 015004 M Zhang et al

the hole, E 0 is the amplitude of the electric field relative to that

of the magnetic field, which can be obtained as in the following
calculations.
Since the higher-order modes will decay along the z axis
quickly, we only take the lowest-order mode into consideration
and set m = 1 in the following derivation. Thus, only the
H E 11 mode will be considered in our calculations. Moreover,
as can be seen from the vector plots for the electric field in [8],
this mode has the correct symmetry to couple to a normally
Figure 1. Schematic view of the structure under study. The thickness incident plane wave.
of the metal film is h , and the circular holes with radius a are Outside the waveguide (ρ > a ), the field should
arranged in a square array with the period d . The light is incident be described using the Hankel function with imaginary
with angle ϕ and transmits from medium 1 to medium 3 (the arguments [9]
magnetic field is along the x axis).
HzII = C0 H1(1)(k4ρ ρ) cos(ϕ)(A0 eikz z + B0 e−ikz z ),
been treated as real metals, which overcomes the deficiency (2)
of previous results where perfectly conducting hole walls were E zII = D0 H1(1)(k4ρ ρ) sin(ϕ)(A0 eikz z − B0 e−ikz z ),
assumed [6]. Good agreement between theory and experiments √
has been obtained, and the underlying mechanism of the where k42ρ + k z2 = (k0 ε4 )2 = k42 , k4ρ is the transverse
phenomenon has been discussed. wavevector outside the circular hole in the metal, and it should
be imaginary as the guided waves must be evanescent outside
the hole.
2. Analytical calculations The transverse components inside and outside the
waveguide can be solved using equations (1) and (2). By
To calculate the light transmission through a metal film with a
matching the z and ϕ electromagnetic components at the
square array of circular holes, the following case is considered.
cylindrical interface (ρ = a ), we can obtain the dispersion
A metal film with the thickness h is located between the
relation
dielectric media 1 and 3. Cylindrical holes with radius a (filled  
with medium 2) are perforated in a square array with a lattice ε2 J1 (k2ρ a) ε4 H1(1)(k4ρ a)
−
constant d , as shown in figure 1. The permittivities of media 1, k2ρ J1 (k2ρ a) k4ρ H1(1)(k4ρ a)
2, 3 and the metal are ε1 , ε2 , ε3 and ε4 , respectively (all the  (1) 
1 J1 (k2ρ a) 1 H1 (k4ρ a)
media are nonmagnetic with the relative permeability being × −
unity). TM polarized light (the magnetic field is along the x k2ρ J1 (k2ρ a) k4ρ H1(1)(k4ρ a)
axis) impinges from medium 1 and transmits into medium 3
 2
c2 1 1
with ϕ being the angle of incidence. = 2 k z2 a 2 2 2 − 2 2 , (3)
ω k 2ρ a k 4ρ a
In the previous work [6] dealing with circular hole arrays,
the sub-wavelength hole walls have been taken as perfect and also the expression for E 0 :
 (1) 
conductors. Here, these circular holes perforated in the metal 1 J1 (k2ρ a) 1 H1 (k4ρ a)
film are treated as cylindrical waveguides surrounded by metal E0 = −
k2ρ J1 (k2ρ a) k4ρ H1(1)(k4ρ a)
with a frequency-dependent dielectric function ε4 (ω). This,   
we will see from the following results, would widen the ε2 J1 (k2ρ a) ε4 H1(1)(k4ρ a) −1 1/2
× − . (4)
transmission peak and lead to a red-shift of the transmission k2ρ J1 (k2ρ a) k4ρ H1(1)(k4ρ a)
peaks.
By numerically solving the dispersion relation, we can
find the propagation constant k z at a certain light frequency,
2.1. Electromagnetic fields in circular holes the transverse wavevector inside and outside the hole, and the
Because of the finite permittivity of real metal, the propagating amplitude of the electric field relative to that of the magnetic
modes in the cylindrical waveguides are neither TE nor TM field. With all these results, we can get the expression for
modes. They should be hybrid modes with both E z and Hz the EM field in the waveguide. It should be noted that,
components. Inside the hole (ρ < a ), they can be described when the metal is perfectly conducting (ε4 → −∞ and
√
using the Bessel functions [9] k4ρ ≈ k0 ε4 ), equation (3) gives rise to J1 (k2ρ a) ≈ 0.
Moreover, E 0 in equation (4) approaches zero, which means
HzII = Jm (k2ρ ρ) cos(mϕ)(A0 eikz z + B0 e−ikz z ), that the electric field component along the z axis vanishes (see
(1) equations (1)). In that case, the fundamental hybrid mode
E zII = E 0 Jm (k2ρ ρ) sin(mϕ)(A0 eikz z − B0 e−ikz z ). inside the waveguides becomes the TE11 mode as expected.
√
Here, k22ρ + k z2 = (k0 ε2 )2 = k22 , k0 = ω/c is the wavevector
2.2. Electromagnetic fields in surrounding media
in free space, k z and k2ρ are the wavevector along the z axis and
the transverse wavevector inside the hole, respectively; A0 and The wave field outside of the metal film can be decomposed
B0 are the amplitudes of the upward and downward waves in into Fourier series because of the periodic structure on the

2
J. Opt. 12 (2010) 015004 M Zhang et al

surface of the metal film. Thus, the magnetic fields in medium and


 
1 and medium 3 can be expressed as i ωμ0 J1 (k2ρ ρ) E0kz 
 M(n) = − 2 + J (k2ρ ρ)
HxI = eik0 (γ0 y−u 00 z) + Rmn eik0 (γm y+κn x+u mn z) , πa 2 k 2ρ ρ k 2ρ 1

× sin2 ϕ e−ik0 γn y dx d y
mn
 (5)
ik0 [γm y+κn x−vmn (z+h)]
HxIII = Tmn e .

 
i E 0 k z J1 (k2ρ ρ) ωμ0 
mn + − J (k 2 ρ ρ)
√ πa 2 k22ρ ρ k 2ρ 1
Here, γm = ε1 sin ϕi + G m /k0 , κn = G n /k0 , with G m =
2 πm/d being the reciprocal lattice vector. And u mn = × cos2 ϕ e−ik0 γn y dx d y,
ε1 − γm2 − κn2 , vmn = ε3 − γm2 − κn2 are the wavevectors

  (10)
i k z J1 (k2ρ ρ) ωε0 ε2 E 0 
along the z axis in medium 1 and medium 3, respectively. Rmn N(n) = − J1 (k2ρ ρ)
and Tmn are the amplitudes of the reflected and transmitted πa 2 k22ρ ρ k 2ρ
waves.
× sin2 ϕ e−ik0 γn y dx d y
In the case that we are considering, TM polarized light is


 
incident with the magnetic field along the x axis. Assuming i ωε0 ε2 E 0 J1 (k2ρ ρ) kz 
+ − + J (k 2ρ ρ)
that only the diffracted modes with the same magnetic πa 2 k22ρ ρ k 2ρ 1
polarization can be excited [4], we have n = 0 and thus we
can omit n in equations (5) from now on. With the use of × cos2 ϕ e−ik0 γn y dx d y.
equations (5), the electric field in the surrounding media is Here, all the double integrals are over a disk of radius a .
obtained as
  
μ0 c
E Iy = u 0 eik0 (γ0 y−u 0 z) − Rm u m eik0 (γm y+u m z) , 3. Comparison with experiments
ε1 m
 (6) When calculating the electromagnetic field inside the hole,
μ 0 c ik0 [γm y−vm (z+h)]
Ey =
III
Tm vm e . for simplicity, a lossless Drude free-electron model ε4 (ω) =
ε3 m
1 − ωp2 /ω2 is used to characterize the optical response of the
metal (ωp = 1.4 × 1016 rad s−1 ). However, when using the
2.3. Zero-order transmission
SIBC approximation on the film surface, the dielectric function
The surface-impedance boundary condition (SIBC) approxi- of the metal is described with ε4 (ω) = ε R + iε I , where ε R and
mation is applicable in the case that we are dealing with, since ε I are taken from [5]. In the latter case, the absorption of light
the skin depth of the metal is much smaller than the thick- from the film surface is taken into account.
ness of the metal film. Applying the SIBC approximation to To verify the validity of the analytical results, the
the metal–dielectric interfaces (film surfaces) and matching the transmission spectrum has been calculated with the above
tangential electromagnetic field component at the hole open- formula and compared with some experimental results from
ings, we can obtain four boundary equations corresponding the literature. In [11], the zero-order transmission spectrum
to two film interfaces. Then the electric and magnetic fields of a circular hole array milled in an Ag film (with a glass
throughout the whole space can be determined analytically. substrate) has been obtained in an experiment where d =
The procedure of calculation may be a two-dimensional ex- 600 nm, a = 75 nm, and h = 200 nm. Our calculation
tension of that employed for the one-dimensional slits [10]. result is shown as the solid (blue) line in figure 2. There
The zero-order
√ transmission efficiency can be expressed as is a good agreement between the experimental results [11]
t0 = ε1 /ε3 |T0 |2 , where T0 is the zero-order transmission am- and our analytical calculation for a wide range of wavelength,
plitude. At normal incidence, we have as regards the positions of the peaks and the transmission
T0 = dips. It is especially worth mentioning that the widths of the
[M(0) + τ N(0)](1 + θ3− ) + [M(0) − τ N(0)](1 − θ3+ ) transmission peaks in the two cases are almost identical. This
A . (7) is a considerable improvement compared with the result in [6].
(1 + θ1− )(1 + θ3− ) − (1 − θ1+ )(1 − θ3+ )e−2ikz h
√ It is also noticeable that in our calculation, there are neither
Here, τ = μ0 c/ ε4 , and fitting parameters nor redefinitions of geometrical parameters
√ defining the structure, as were used in [6].
4h 0 ε0 c ε3 e−ikz h
A= √ √ ,
Q(1 + ε1 /ε4 )(1 + ε3 /ε4 )
(8) 4. Discussion
± ε0 cε j  M(n) ± τ N(n)
θj = hn −1/2
.
Q n (ε j − γn2 )1/2 + ε j ε4 The transmission dips can be reached when the denominator
in equation (7) approaches maxima. This condition can be
where −1/2
k z a − ωε0 ε2 E 0 a expressed as (ε j − γn2 )1/2 + ε j ε4 = 0 ( j = 1, 3) using
Q=i J1 (k2ρ a), equations (8). From this we obtain G n = ±kspp, where
(k2ρ a)2


(9) kspp ≈ k0 ε4 ε j /(ε4 + ε j ). The result implies that it is the SPP
1 mode on the flat metal surface instead of the Rayleigh anomaly
hn = eik0 γn y dx d y,
πa 2 that gives rise to the transmission minima [5].

3
J. Opt. 12 (2010) 015004
Figure 2. Calculated zero-order transmission spectra of the Ag film
perforated with circular holes; a = 75 nm, d = 600 nm and
h = 200 nm (glass substrate). The metal is characterized with a
frequency-dependent permittivity (the solid blue curve), and the
metal wall surrounding the hole is treated as a perfect electric
conductor (the dashed red curve).
We have calculated the optical transmission with the metal
wall surrounding the hole being treated as a perfect electric
conductor (PEC). In this case, the lowest-order waveguide
mode with the angular momentum m = 1 inside the circular
holes is a TE11 mode. The calculated transmission spectrum
of a structure with parameters the same as those in section 3
is shown as the dashed (red) line in figure 2. Comparing with
the solid (blue) curve, we see that the spectrum shows similar
transmission characteristics. Nonetheless, in two cases the
peak position and peak width differ from each other, and the
model which takes the dielectric response of the hole wall into
account is in better agreement with the experimental result. It
is obvious that, relative to the PEC hole wall, the cylindrical
hole wall with a Drude-like dielectric response presents a red-
shift of the transmission peaks and an increase in peak width.
The dependence of the transmission spectrum on the
structural parameters of the hole array has also been studied.
We found that the spectrum is strongly correlated with the
cylindrical waveguide mode. It has been suggested by Shin
et al that for a cylindrical hole, the H E 11 and E H11 modes are
two discrete bands separated by a frequency gap [8]. For a hole
with the radius a = 100 nm milled in an Ag film (ε2 = 1.0),
according to our calculations, the pass band of the H E 11 mode
is between 0.30ωp and 0.51ωp (i.e., from 262 to 455 nm), while
the cutoff frequency of the E H11 mode at k z = 0 is 0.67ωp
(∼200 nm). We have calculated the transmission spectrum of
a metal film perforated with circular holes (glass substrate),
where a = 100 nm, d = 700 nm, and the film thickness
takes the values h = 150 nm, 193 nm and 250 nm (see
figure 3). We can see that the positions of the transmission
peaks below the cutoff frequency of the H E 11 mode (λ >
455 nm) are not affected by the film thickness, although the
peak heights decrease quickly as the metal film gets thicker due
4
M Zhang et al
Figure 3. Calculated zero-order transmission spectra as a function of
film thickness (h = 250, 193, and 150 nm); hole radius a = 100 nm,
lattice constant d = 700 nm.
Figure 4. Calculated zero-order transmission spectra as a function of
lattice constant (d = 500, 700, and 900 nm); film thickness
h = 150 nm, hole radius a = 100 nm.
to the evanescent tunneling process. The results confirm the
experiments [12]. However, in the wavelength range 262 nm <
λ < 455 nm, the transmission peak is still present and sensitive
to the thickness of the metal film. In this region, the H E 11
mode is propagating and the transmission peak originates from
the Fabry–Perot (FP) resonance in the circular holes. This
demonstrates that for the pass band the transmission peaks are
due to the FP resonance.
The peak positions are also investigated by changing the
lattice constant; this also gives us a glance at the underlying
physics of the transmission peaks. In the circumstances that
we are considering, the dispersion relation of the waveguide
modes remains unchanged as the radius of the circular holes
is fixed at 100 nm and the film thickness is 150 nm. The
transmission spectra are calculated with the lattice constant
taking the values 500 nm, 700 nm and 900 nm (see figure 4).
In these three situations, the positions of the transmission
peak are almost the same (260 nm) in the wavelength range
where the waveguide modes are propagating. However, in
the longer wavelength range where the optical transmission
J. Opt. 12 (2010) 015004
Figure 5. Calculated zero-order transmission spectra as a function of
hole radius (a = 75, 100, and 125 nm); film thickness h = 150 nm,
lattice constant d = 700 nm.
experiences an evanescent process, the peak positions are
strongly dependent on the lattice period. This character
indicates that the transmission maxima in the stop band are
caused by the surface mode resonance (or SPP resonance).
Additional insight may be provided by studying the
transmission spectrum with different hole radii. Theoretical
calculations show that the waveguide modes can be greatly
influenced by the hole size. For the H E 11 mode, an increase
of the hole radius will shift the cutoff to a longer wavelength.
Correspondingly, significant changes will be present in the
transmission spectrum. Figure 5 shows the calculated spectrum
with the hole radii taking the values of a = 75 nm, 100 nm,
and 125 nm (the remaining parameters are d = 700 nm
and h = 150 nm). One can see that the positions of the
transmission dips, which are determined by the lattice period,
are fixed. Nevertheless, along with the increase of the hole
size, the transmission peaks are red-shifted and the peak widths
are greatly enlarged. A similar tendency has been found in
the experimental results for a rectangular hole array, for a C-
shaped hole array [13] and for a circular hole array of finite
size [14]. This demonstrates that, even in the stop band, the
light transmission is still correlated with the waveguide mode.
5. Conclusions
In conclusion, extraordinary light transmission through sub-
wavelength circular hole arrays in the metal film is analyzed
M Zhang et al
theoretically, taking the diffraction modes and the surface
plasmons into account. Good agreement has been achieved
between theoretical results and the experiments. We show that
the waveguide modes inside the hole have a strong influence
on the transmission peaks. In the wavelength range where
the waveguide modes are propagating, the peaks are caused
by the FP resonance. And in the wavelength region where
the waveguide modes are evanescent, the transmission peaks
mainly result from the extended surface resonance. In the latter
case, the character of the waveguide mode is still important
for determining the peak position and peak width. The result
also indicates that an understanding of the phenomenon should
account for the real metal response, including that of the film
surface and the hole inside.
Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the State Key Program for
Basic Research of China (Grant No. 2006CB921804), and
by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant
Nos 10523001, 10874079, and 10804051).
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