Nanogroove array on thin metallic film as planar lens with tunable focusing

Numerical results for the distributions of light transmitted through metallic planar lenses composed of symmetric nanogroove arrays on the surfaces of a gold film are presented and explained. Both the near- and far-field distributions of the intensity of light transmitted are calculated by using a Green's function formalism. Results for an optimal transverse focus based on a quadratic variation of groove width are obtained. Meanwhile, a significant dependence of the focal length on the wavelength of light incident from the air side through the gold film into a dielectric substrate is found for this detector configuration. -- Highlights: ► Wavelength-tunable focal distance of a planar metallic lens. ► Enhanced focusing power by a quadratic groove-width variation. ► Limited range of substrate refractive index for changing tunable focal distance. ► Important role of the groove-corner sharpness in shrinking spot longitudinal size. ► Important role of the number of grooves in shrinking spot transverse size.