Origin of the positional offset of FP-like enhanced transmission peaks in a one-dimensional gold grating

General transmission characteristics of a one-dimensional optically thick gold grating were investigated as functions of the grating structural parameters (period, slit width and grating thickness) in the spectral range from 0.4 μm to 9.9 μm. The positions (resonant wavelengths) of the Fabry–Perot (FP)-like enhanced transmission (ET) peaks depend not only on the grating’s period and thickness, but also on the slit width. These numerically calculated FP-like resonant positions are different from the simple FP predictions. The physical origin of these positional offsets is ascribed to the additional phases produced by the special ‘reflecting planes’, which are caused by oscillating dipoles located at the entrances and exits of the slits. For a particular order of FP-like resonance, the additional phase is found to be independent of the refractive index of the surrounding, but dependent on the grating’s structural parameters.