Optical properties of silicon nanocavity-coupled hybrid plasmonic–photonic crystals in the optical region

Abstract

Hybrid plasmonic–photonic crystals (HPPCs) have attracted considerable attention due to the cooperative effects of unique plasmonic and photonic features of the plasmonic and photonic crystals. In this work, we fabricate a novel HPPC by intercalating amorphous silicon nanocavities (Si-NCs) between the corrugated metallic plasmonic crystal and the colloidal crystal (CC). Multiple intensified transmission bands are experimentally observed through enhanced optical field coupling of the plasmon modes localized at the metal layer to the eigen modes in the CC by strong electric response of Si-NCs. Significant transmission modifications of such a structure can be efficiently tailored by tuning the geometry of Si-NCs. Calculated transmission spectra also demonstrate these. Our findings might provide potential applications in light harvesting and optoelectronic detections.