Resonant excitation of surface plasmons in one-dimensional metallic grating structures at microwave frequencies

Grating-coupling phenomena between surface plasmons and electromagnetic waves were studied in the microwave spectrum using metallic gratings. Transmission measurements were carried out to observe the transmitted radiation around the surface plasmon resonance frequencies. Grating structures with subwavelength apertures were designed for transmission experiments. Measurements were made in the microwave spectrum of 10-37.5 GHz, corresponding to a wavelength region of 8-30 mm. The A1 samples had a grating periodicity of 16 mm. A 2 mm wide subwavelength slit was opened for transmission samples. Samples with one/double-sided gratings displayed remarkably enhanced transmission and directivity with respect to the reference sample without gratings. The experimental results agreed well with theoretical simulations. ∼50% transmission at 20.7 mm, ∼25-fold enhancement, and ±4° angular divergence were achieved with a ∼λ/10 aperture.