Parameter Controlled Percolation Effects in Transmittance of Plasmonic Checkerboard Structures

Crossing a percolation threshold radically changes the response of a structure, including optical spectra such as transmittance. Understanding and, in some cases, predicting the critical nature of the threshold point provides novel insights into the capabilities and applications of engineering particular structures. Here, we investigate the self-complimentary, plasmonic checkerboard structure and the relation to its percolation effects. As seen through finite element simulated transmittance and electromagnetic fields, direct control of extraordinary, resonant transmittance is attained by tuning of simple geometrical structure parameters, while also exploiting extreme sensitivity due to the proximity of the percolation threshold. We supply evidence that devices fabricated from these structures yield potential possibilities as parametrically tuned sensors.