Near-field interactions between light and surface plasmons of a metal slab

In this paper, we calculate the attenuated total reflection (ATR) spectra of Au, Ag and Sb thin metal slabs with different thicknesses on nanometer scale by using the transfer matrix method. The metal slab is surrounded by thin dielectric films, such as ZnS - SiO 2 or glass. The resonance absorption of the incident light, i.e. when the ATR spectrum has a minimum value, in the metal slab is studied. The resonance is due to the excitation of surface plasmons (SPs) at the interfaces between the metal slab and its surrounding dielectrics. It is found that both the thickness of the metal slab and the surrounding dielectric will change the surface plasmon (SP) resonant position and strength.