From first-principles computations we reveal that metallic gratings consisting of narrow slits may become transparent for extremely broad bandwidths under oblique incidence. This phenomenon can be explained by a concrete picture in which the incident wave drives free electrons on the conducting surfaces and part of the slit walls to form spoof surface plasmons (SSPs). The SSPs then propagate on the slit walls but are abruptly discontinued by the bottom edges to form oscillating charges that emit the transmitted wave. This picture explicitly demonstrates the conversion between light and SSPs and indicates clear guidelines for enhancing SSP excitation and propagation. Making structured metals transparent may lead to a variety of applications.

• Received 10 May 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.243901