Photoemission time-of-flight spectromicroscopy of Ag nanoparticle films on Si(1 1 1)

Abstract

Time-of-flight photoemission electron microscopy was used to measure spatially resolved energy distribution curves of electrons emitted from Ag nanoparticle films with different mass thicknesses. Two-photon photoemission (2PPE) was induced by femtosecond laser pulse excitation with 3.1 eV photon energy and 200 fs pulse width. Regions of Ag nanoparticles with different average sizes and one region with a continuous 100 nm thick Ag film were deposited as a stepped wedge on a Si(1 1 1) substrate. Upon laser excitation the nanoparticle films exhibit a very high electron emission yield in the images, whereas the uncovered Si surface and the continuous Ag film are dark. The time-of-flight electron spectra obtained from the nanoparticle films are remarkably different from the spectra of the continuous film, well-known from literature. The nanoparticle spectra are up to a factor of 160 more intense than the spectrum of the continuous film. They reveal different widths, overall shape and a shift and broadening of the Fermi edge. The results are discussed in terms of Mie plasmon assisted two-photon photoemission of the nanoparticles.