Enhancement of linear and nonlinear optical absorption coefficients in spherical dome semiconductor nanoshells by surface plasmon resonances

Abstract

Nonlinear optical effects in semiconductor nanostructures with quantum size regime have aroused great interest due to their giant nonlinearities in contrast to those of bulk counterparts, which is of great importance for developing nonlinear optical nano-devices. Here, using quantum theory, we reveal that surface plasmon resonances of metal nanoparticles greatly enhance the linear and nonlinear optical absorption coefficients of spherical dome semiconductor nanoshells with quantum sizes. These enhanced linear and nonlinear optical effects can be flexibly tuned and amplified by manipulating both the structural parameters of the nanoshells and the distance between nanoshells and metal nanoparticles. Furthermore, the bleaching effects are more clearly observed through the surface plasmon resonances. Our founding make spherical dome semiconductor nanoshells a promising candidate for nonlinear optical nano-devices with the potential for integrated nonlinear optical applications.