First Experimental Demonstration of the Wide-Field Amplitude Surface Plasmon Resonance Microscopy in the Terahertz Range

Abstract

We have demonstrated the wide-field amplitude surface plasmon resonance (SPR) microscopy technique in the terahertz (THz) range. A Zeonex polymer prism was utilized to excite surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) through attenuated total reflection (ATR) in an Otto configuration. Coherent quasimonochromatic radiation with a wavelength of approximately 197 μm, generated by the Novosibirsk free electron laser, was employed. Our results indicate that the SPR microscopy method is applicable for investigating the planar surfaces of semiconductors at THz frequencies, provided that the SPPs’ cutoff frequency is close to the probing radiation frequency. This condition ensures that the propagation length of the SPPs is comparable to the radiation wavelength. By varying the air gap between the prism and the surface under examination, we acquired images of a polypropylene coating 20 µm thick and a graphene coating 35 nm thick on a flat indium antimonide substrate. The boundary between the coated and uncoated regions can be precisely localized through determination of the kink in the reflection coefficient of the THz radiation beam that illuminates the boundary between the regions if the optimal conditions for the generation of the SPPs in the uncoated region are met.