This paper presents the first experimental demonstration of a metal-dielectric negative-index metamaterial at near-infrared (near-IR) wavelengths. The structure consists of a glass substrate with two 30-nm thick gold films separated by a 60-nm thick aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) dielectric layer, with a 2D square periodic array of circular holes (838 nm pitch, 360 nm diameter) perforating the entire multi-layer structure. The structure is fabricated using parallel interferometric lithography, enabling large-area nanoscale patterning. The effective refractive index of the structure is measured using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), with both transmission and reflection amplitude and phase measured. The results show a negative real part of the refractive index around 2 μm, indicating negative refraction. The imaginary part of the refractive index is large, indicating significant loss due to electron scattering in the thin metal films. The negative refractive index is achieved through a combination of resonant interactions between the metal layers and the dielectric layer, as well as coupling with surface plasma waves. The structure exhibits a negative permittivity and reduced permeability near the resonance frequency, leading to negative refraction. The results demonstrate the feasibility of negative-index materials at near-IR wavelengths, which could lead to new applications in optical devices and enable more detailed investigation of the properties of negative-index materials. The work highlights the advantages of large-area interferometric patterning techniques for nanophotonic structures and provides a new direction for the design and fabrication of negative refractive index materials. The results are in good agreement with rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA) modeling, confirming the effectiveness of the hybrid approach used in this study.This paper presents the first experimental demonstration of a metal-dielectric negative-index metamaterial at near-infrared (near-IR) wavelengths. The structure consists of a glass substrate with two 30-nm thick gold films separated by a 60-nm thick aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃) dielectric layer, with a 2D square periodic array of circular holes (838 nm pitch, 360 nm diameter) perforating the entire multi-layer structure. The structure is fabricated using parallel interferometric lithography, enabling large-area nanoscale patterning. The effective refractive index of the structure is measured using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), with both transmission and reflection amplitude and phase measured. The results show a negative real part of the refractive index around 2 μm, indicating negative refraction. The imaginary part of the refractive index is large, indicating significant loss due to electron scattering in the thin metal films. The negative refractive index is achieved through a combination of resonant interactions between the metal layers and the dielectric layer, as well as coupling with surface plasma waves. The structure exhibits a negative permittivity and reduced permeability near the resonance frequency, leading to negative refraction. The results demonstrate the feasibility of negative-index materials at near-IR wavelengths, which could lead to new applications in optical devices and enable more detailed investigation of the properties of negative-index materials. The work highlights the advantages of large-area interferometric patterning techniques for nanophotonic structures and provides a new direction for the design and fabrication of negative refractive index materials. The results are in good agreement with rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA) modeling, confirming the effectiveness of the hybrid approach used in this study.