Three primary color (red, green and blue) filters consisting of subwavelength triangular-lattice hole arrays in an aluminum film on glass were simulated and fabricated. A silicon dioxide cap layer, deposited on the patterned aluminum film, was found to almost double the transmission efficiency for all the filters. The measured peak transmittance for each color filter was above 30%, exhibiting a wavelength spectrum with a full-width at half-maximum of approximately 100 nm. Simulation results of various structures with different cap layers revealed the enhanced coupling between surface plasmon resonances at both sides of the metal film in a symmetrical configuration. It was found that gratings with as few as three periods were sufficient to demonstrate filtering. The effect of metal thickness and hole size was investigated in detail.

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1. P. Catrysse, B. Wandell, and A. E. Gamal, “An integrated color pixel in 0.18 μm CMOS technology,” in 2001 International Electron Devices Meeting-Technical Digest (IEEE, 2001), pp. 559–562.
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3. Y. Cho, Y. K. Choi, and S. H. Sohn, “Optical properties of neodymium-containing polymethylmethacrylate films for the organic light emitting diode color filter,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 89(5), 051102 (2006). [CrossRef]
4. Y. Kanamori, M. Shimono, and K. Hane, “Fabrication of transmission color filters using silicon subwavelength gratings on quartz substrates,” IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 18(20), 2126–2128 (2006). [CrossRef]
5. S. Collin, G. Vincent, R. Haïdar, N. Bardou, S. Rommeluère, and J. L. Pelouard, “Nearly perfect Fano transmission resonances through nanoslits drilled in a metallic membrane,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 104(2), 027401 (2010). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
6. E. Laux, C. Genet, T. Skauli, and T. W. Ebbesen, “Plasmonic photon sorters for spectral and polarimetric imaging,” Nat. Photonics 2(3), 161–164 (2008). [CrossRef]
7. H. F. Ghaemi, T. Thio, D. E. Grupp, T. W. Ebbesen, and H. J. Lezec, “Surface plasmons enhance optical transmission through subwavelength holes,” Phys. Rev. B 58(11), 6779–6782 (1998). [CrossRef]
8. W. L. Barnes, A. Dereux, and T. W. Ebbesen, “Surface plasmon subwavelength optics,” Nature 424(6950), 824–830 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
9. H.-S. Lee, Y.-T. Yoon, S.-S. Lee, S.-H. Kim, and K.-D. Lee, “Color filter based on a subwavelength patterned metal grating,” Opt. Express 15(23), 15457–15463 (2007), http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-15-23-15457 . [CrossRef] [PubMed]
10. J. L. Skinner, A. A. Talin, and D. A. Horsley, “A MEMS light modulator based on diffractive nanohole gratings,” Opt. Express 16(6), 3701–3711 (2008), http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-16-6-3701 . [CrossRef] [PubMed]
11. C. Genet and T. W. Ebbesen, “Light in tiny holes,” Nature 445(7123), 39–46 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
12. Lumerical FDTD Solution, http://www.lumerical.com/

Appl. Phys. Lett.

• Y. Cho, Y. K. Choi, and S. H. Sohn, “Optical properties of neodymium-containing polymethylmethacrylate films for the organic light emitting diode color filter,” Appl. Phys. Lett. 89(5), 051102 (2006). [CrossRef]

IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett.

• Y. Kanamori, M. Shimono, and K. Hane, “Fabrication of transmission color filters using silicon subwavelength gratings on quartz substrates,” IEEE Photon. Technol. Lett. 18(20), 2126–2128 (2006). [CrossRef]

Nat. Photonics

• E. Laux, C. Genet, T. Skauli, and T. W. Ebbesen, “Plasmonic photon sorters for spectral and polarimetric imaging,” Nat. Photonics 2(3), 161–164 (2008). [CrossRef]

Nature

• W. L. Barnes, A. Dereux, and T. W. Ebbesen, “Surface plasmon subwavelength optics,” Nature 424(6950), 824–830 (2003). [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• C. Genet and T. W. Ebbesen, “Light in tiny holes,” Nature 445(7123), 39–46 (2007). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Opt. Express

• H.-S. Lee, Y.-T. Yoon, S.-S. Lee, S.-H. Kim, and K.-D. Lee, “Color filter based on a subwavelength patterned metal grating,” Opt. Express 15(23), 15457–15463 (2007), http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-15-23-15457 . [CrossRef] [PubMed]
• J. L. Skinner, A. A. Talin, and D. A. Horsley, “A MEMS light modulator based on diffractive nanohole gratings,” Opt. Express 16(6), 3701–3711 (2008), http://www.opticsinfobase.org/oe/abstract.cfm?URI=oe-16-6-3701 . [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Opt. Lett.

• G. D. Sharp, K. M. Johnson, and D. Doroski, “Continuously tunable smectic A(*) liquid-crystal color filter,” Opt. Lett. 15(10), 523–525 (1990). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Phys. Rev. B

• H. F. Ghaemi, T. Thio, D. E. Grupp, T. W. Ebbesen, and H. J. Lezec, “Surface plasmons enhance optical transmission through subwavelength holes,” Phys. Rev. B 58(11), 6779–6782 (1998). [CrossRef]

Phys. Rev. Lett.

• S. Collin, G. Vincent, R. Haïdar, N. Bardou, S. Rommeluère, and J. L. Pelouard, “Nearly perfect Fano transmission resonances through nanoslits drilled in a metallic membrane,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 104(2), 027401 (2010). [CrossRef] [PubMed]

Other

• P. Catrysse, B. Wandell, and A. E. Gamal, “An integrated color pixel in 0.18 μm CMOS technology,” in 2001 International Electron Devices Meeting-Technical Digest (IEEE, 2001), pp. 559–562.
• Lumerical FDTD Solution, http://www.lumerical.com/

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