The field of plasmonic nanostructures has attracted much interest since Ebbesen reported optical transmission through thin metallic films with submicron holes. Subsequent researchers showed that a similar transmission phenomenon can be demonstrated using corrugated metal films without subwavelength perforation. The fabrication process often uses a complex and expensive lithographic step that inhibits the usefulness of the technique in practical applications.

One technique of improving the speed of fabrication whilst reducing the cost is to use embossing as a way of making the template onto which the metallic structure can be deposited. This makes the realization of large area plasmonic structures possible. In this report we describe the successful use of an embossed polyethylene teraphtalate polymer film onto which a metal layer was evaporated. The films have a 250 nm pitch and are available in areas exceeding 500 cm². The transmission properties were measured and compared to the theoretical predictions of a RCWA code. The films show spectral features consistent with the interaction of light with the surface plasmons.

There are a number of applications under investigation including but the sensor area is particularly active and often comprises functionalized surfaces that modify the surface plasmon resonance. The fabrication route proposed here will facilitate large area detection techniques.

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