Subwavelength imaging of plasmon superlens with 3-dimensional small surface roughness

In 2000, Pendry introduced a “perfect lens” imaging device using double negative material. He also predicted that a thin film of metal with negative permittivity (single negative material) can achieve subwavelength resolution by enhancing the p-polarization component of evanescent waves. Other advantages of developing a plasmon film lens are that noble metals are naturally available materials, the imaging process can be done in real-time, and the object can be separated from an imaging device. In 2005, a thin slab of sliver was fabricated as a superlens. Recently, we investigate the effects of small surface roughness on the images using 2-Dimensional (2-D) full wave simulations of the optical transfer function. In Bagley et al., we reported image enhancement through a superlens with roughness. It was shown that a silver film lens with small roughness compared with a wavelength can preserve image integrity and enhance the subwavelength image beyond that of a smooth lens. Next in Wang et al., we investigated the image enhancement of superlens by combining loss with roughness.