Bragg resonance in a system of AsSb plasmonic nanoinclusions in AlGaAs

Abstract

The optical reflection from periodic structures based on a semiconductor AlGaAs matrix containing 2D arrays of plasmonic AsSb nanoinclusions is studied. The number of nanoinclusion layers is 12 or 24, and the nominal spatial periods are 100 or 110 nm, respectively. In the experimental spectra of the optical reflection coefficient at normal incidence, we observe resonant Bragg diffraction with the main peaks at wavelengths of 757 or 775 nm (1.64 or 1.60 eV), depending on the spatial period of the nanostructure. The magnitudes of the resonance peaks reach 22 and 31% for the systems of 12 and 24 AsSb–AlGaAs layers, while the volume fraction of the nanoinclusions is much less than 1%. In the case of light incident at inclined angles, the Bragg-diffraction pattern shifts according to Wulff–Bragg’s law. Numerical simulation of the optical reflection spectra is performed using the transfer-matrix method by taking into account the spatial geometry of the structures and the resonance characteristics of the plasmonic AsSb layers.