Plasmon–Exciton Hybridization in ZnO Quantum-Well Al Nanodisc Heterostructures

Abstract

We demonstrate the formation of a hybridized plasmon-exciton state exhibiting strong exciton-plasmon coupling in ZnO/Zn(0.85)Mg(0.15)O single quantum wells capped with arrays of Al nanodiscs. Tuning the quantum-well width and the diameter and pitch of the Al nanodisc arrays facilitates a transition from the weak-coupling regime into the strong coupling regime. Finite-difference time-domain simulations substantiate the localization of the plasmonic quadrupole moment within the ZnO quantum-well layer, resulting in a hybridized plasmonexciton state demonstrating a Rabi splitting of roughly 15 meV in heterostructures that exhibit a prominent plasmon quadrupole mode. The significant tunability offered by quantum-well heterostructures like those discussed here provides a flexible system for controlling exciton plasmon coupling in a device-compatible thin-film architecture.