Chapter 3 - Low-loss plasmonic metals epitaxially grown on semiconductors

Abstract

Surface plasmons are the quanta of the collective oscillatory motion of electrons on a metal surface. For noble metals such as gold and silver, the propagating surface plasmon polariton (SPP) and localized surface plasmon (LSP) modes in the visible spectral region allow for novel schemes to confine and localize the optical field into a deep-subwavelength plasmonic regime. The recent surge of research interest in plasmon-enabled nanophotonics (nanoplasmonics) is largely due to their capability to break the diffraction limit. Many exciting developments in nanoplasmonics have been made by research groups around the world. In the past decade, the field of nanoplasmonics-related research has undergone a huge expansion and has become one of the most active research areas in the nanoscience community. Because of their unique properties related to enhanced field intensity, resonant behavior, ability to confine light beyond the diffraction limit, and slow group velocity, nanoplasmonic systems have found exciting new applications in spectroscopy, optoelectronics, imaging, biosensing, and integrated plasmonics and photonics.