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Through developing intuitive models that explicitly incorporate the launching and scattering of surface waves on nano-patterned metallic surfaces, we show the effect of different surface waves on light transmission through subwavelength apertures and on field enhancement in nanocavities. Taking the geometry of a hole array and of a T-shaped groove, we show that classical surface plasmon polariton (SPP) together with another quasi-cylindrical wave (CW) will give the full contribution. Our results are helpful for clarifying the physics of nano-patterned metallic surfaces and thus provide design recipes for relevant devices.

plasmonics; surface plasmon polariton; quasi-cylindrical wave; intuitive model