High Transmission Efficiency Hybrid Metal-Dielectric Metasurfaces for Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy
Mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy enables non-invasive identification of chemical species by probing absorption spectra associated with molecular vibrational modes, where spectral filters play a central role. Conventional plasmonic metasurfaces have been explored for MIR filtering in reflection and transmission modes but typically suffer from broad spectral profiles and low efficiencies. All-dielectric metasurfaces, although characterized by low intrinsic losses, are largely limited to reflection mode operation. To overcome these limitations, we propose a hybrid metal-dielectric metasurface that combines the advantages of both platforms while simplifying fabrication compared to conventional Fabry-Pérot filters. The proposed filter consists of silicon (Si) crosses atop gold (Au) square patches and demonstrates a transmission efficiency of 87% at the operating wavelength of 4.28 µm, with a full width half maximum (FWHM) as narrow as 43 nm and a quality factor of approximately 99.5 at λ = 4.28 μm. Numerical simulations attribute this performance to hybridization of Mie lattice resonances in both the gold patches and silicon crosses. By providing narrowband, high-transmission filtering in the MIR, the hybrid metasurface offers a compact and versatile platform for selective gas detection and imaging. This work establishes hybrid metal-dielectric metasurfaces as a promising direction for next-generation MIR spectroscopy.
Authors
- Amr Soliman (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6040-0039)
- Timothy D. Wilkinson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8885-1288)
- Calum Williams (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6432-6515)
Institutions
- University of Exeter (GB)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nanomaterials
- Published
- 2025-09-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/nano15181456
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Plasmonic and Surface Plasmon Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.35