Plasmon excitation and self-coupling in a bi-periodically modulated two-dimensional electron gas

Abstract

We report far infrared (FIR) studies of plasmons in spatially modulated two-dimensional electron gases (2DEGs) in AlGaAs/GaAs heterostructures using biased overlaid metal gratings, including interdigitated gratings, both as optical couplers and as spatially modulating gates. Comparison of the experimental results with the predictions of scattering matrix calculations of the FIR response of a modulated 2DEG in the presence of a perfectly conducting lamellar grating allow us to deduce the spatial variation of the number density distribution in the 2DEG as a function of grating bias. For the interdigitated grating gates, the 2DEG can be modulated at a period of twice that of the grating fingers by differentially biasing alternate fingers; 2D plasmon resonances have been observed at half-integral values of the grating wave vector G, corresponding to the electrically induced periodicity of the 2DEG modulation itself acting as an optical coupler in addition to the metal grating. The observed G/2 plasmon frequencies decrease with increasing amplitude of the 2DEG number density modulation, in quantitative agreement with those obtained from scattering matrix calculations of the optical response of a modulated 2DEG under a perfectly conducting lamellar grating; calculations of the oscillating charge density profiles show that this occurs because, as the modulation amplitude increases, the oscillation becomes localized in regions of low 2DEG number density which are also under one of the sets of grating fingers, and is therefore better screened.