Light focusing at metallic annular slit structure coated with dielectric layers

We report the focusing of a normally incident plane wave of 405 nm through a Ag/dielectric annular ring structure, using finite-difference time domain analysis. We first study the dependency of the focusing efficiency on slit width when the incident wave is transmitted through a single ring whose slit is filled with a dielectric. Then, light focusing by the multiple-ring structure is investigated as a function of the dielectric thickness. It is observed that the focusing is tunable between near-field and quasi-far-field regimes in the Ag/dielectric layered annular ring structure. Also, the focal intensities are remarkably enhanced by the addition of the dielectric layer, showing a Fabry-Perot-like resonance with respect to the thickness of the dielectric layer. The controllable near-field and far-field focusing offers more flexibility for applications of future nano-optic devices. (C) 2010 Optical Society of America