Patent ID: 8462420

Claim:
A tunable plasmonic filter, comprising: a metal plasmonic filter comprising at least one of subwavelength sized plasmonic structures or apertures; and a modulating voltage or current source which in operation is operable for applying a voltage or current indirectly to, or between portions of, or to a substrate of the metal plasmonic filter to modulate at least one of intensity or wavelength of light transmitted through the filter, wherein the metal plasmonic filter comprises interdigitated plasmonic filter structures, and wherein the modulating voltage or current source is adapted to apply a voltage or current to a first part and a second part of the interdigitated plasmonic filter structures, and wherein the first and second parts of the interdigitated plasmonic filter structures are configured such that incident light is resonant with at least one plasmonic mode on the interdigitated plasmonic filter structures, and a predetermined wavelength perturbs the interdigitated plasmonic structures in surface plasmon energy bands for wavelength selective transmission of light.