Broadband plasmonic response of silver nanomaze-based nanogap-enhanced absorber

Abstract

This study introduces a novel nanogap-enhanced plasmonic absorber (NEPA) structure generated using the Gray–Scott algorithm. Finite-difference time-domain simulations analyzed NEPA's optical properties, varying top pattern thickness from 10 to 300 nm. The simulation results demonstrate exceptional broadband absorption, with rates exceeding 60% across the 90–300 nm thickness range and reaching a peak of 96.73% at 160 nm. The nanogap-mediated plasmonic nanomaze array exhibits multiple resonance features and complex electric field distributions due to various plasmonic modes. The nearly uniform spacing of the nanomaze pattern maintains consistent plasmonic properties. This innovative approach shows great potential for enhancing plasmonic devices, with applications in solar cells, photodetectors, surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, metamaterials, imaging, energy harvesting, and nanoantennas. Our research advances nanophotonics, offering new possibilities for high-efficiency optical and optoelectronic devices across various applications.