Effects of a bar on optical transmission through Z-shaped metallic slit arrays

We investigate the effects of a bar on optical transmission through Z-shaped metallic slit arrays by using finite-difference time domain (FDTD) method. A new hybrid Fabry-Perot (FP) surface plasmon polariton (SPP) mode emerges when changing the geometric parameters of the bar, and this mode can be viewed as a coupling between FP mode and SPP mode. In addition, an obvious dip appears in a featured area when the bar deviates from the central line, and a small displacement of the bar leads to tremendous change of the dip. These behaviors can be attributed to the phase resonance. In short, the structure is very sensitive to the metal bar. Furthermore, it combines photonic device miniaturization with sensitivity, which is useful for making optical switch.