Optimisation of polarization controlled colour tuning using nanoscale cross-shaped apertures in silver films

Nanofabrication of metamaterials based on thin metallic films have resulted in a host of different designs that support Extraordinary Optical Transmission (EOT). In contrast to the more widely studied circular-shaped apertures, cross-shaped apertures have characteristics which can be modified in response to linearly polarized light, opening up new pathways for light manipulation at the nanoscale. Here we present a systematic study of the influence of device geometry and composition on the functional characteristics of polarisation controlled optical plasmonic devices. We also discuss some issues that arise using the focused ion beam (FIB) milling technique to fabricate optical metamaterials. In particular, we show that producing high-quality patterns lead to a significant over-deposition of the substrate material. This effect significantly alters the metal surface chemistry, which poses a considerable obstacle for applications involving molecular and bio sensing. This work lays the foundation for the optimisation of the properties of optical plasmonic devices for a wide-range of applications including colour filtering and bio-sensing.