Critical coupling in plasmonic resonator arrays

We report critical coupling of electromagnetic waves to plasmonic cavity arrays fabricated on Moire surfaces. Dark field plasmon microscopy imaging and polarization dependent spectroscopic reflection measurements reveal the critical coupling conditions of the cavities. The critical coupling conditions depend on the superperiod of the Moire surface, which also defines the coupling between the cavities. Complete transfer of the incident power can be achieved for traveling wave plasmonic resonators, which have a relatively short superperiod. When the superperiod of the resonators increases, the coupled resonators become isolated standing wave resonators in which complete transfer of the incident power is not possible. Analytical and finite difference time domain calculations support the experimental observations. (C) 2011 Optical Society of America