Localized Surface Plasmon Coupling Research Articles

EM metamaterials sensor based on close coupling of spoof localized surface plasmons

EM metamaterials sensor based on close coupling of spoof localized surface plasmons

Coherent coupling of localized surface plasmons and surface plasmons in borophene-based metamaterial

The strong coherent coupling in different electromagnetic modes can control the light-matter interaction more conveniently. Here, we theoretically researched the hybridization between the borophene surface plasmon (BSP) mode and the borophene localized surface plasmon (BLSP) mode in borophene grating structure. This coupling effect leads to the emergence of multiple hybrid modes. The absorption spectra of the system are investigated through finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulation and coupled oscillator model (COM). Results show that the coherent coupling of BSP and BLSP can be achieved by adjusting the carrier density of the borophene gratings. A Rabi splitting effect with frequency of 21.6 THz can be observed. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of geometric structural parameters, incident angle, and relaxation time on the correlated coupling spectra. Our work may deepen the understanding of light–matter interactions and provide a reference for borophene-based active photonic devices in the near-infrared region.

CsPbX3 photoluminescence enhancement by localized surface plasmon of Ag nanoparticles

This paper investigates the enhanced photoluminescence of CsPbX3 by the localized surface plasmon (LSP) of Ag nanoparticles. The Ag nanoparticles with different sizes were obtained by annealing Ag thin films at different temperatures. Then the Ag/PMMA/perovskite structure was fabricated to realize the exciton-LSP coupling effect, and enhancement was found for wavelength-tunable CsPbX3 films. When the Ag film is heated to 200∘C, the maximum enhancement factor of LSP is 6.03. The LSP coupling effect induces the slight blue shift of the fluorescence emission center which is caused by the limitation of electron free trajectories under the LSP resonance frequency of Ag nanoparticles. As the gap between nanoparticles decreases, the absorption cross-section increases, and the scattering rate of electrons on the surface of metal nanoparticles greatly exceeds the internal scattering rate, causing the LSP resonance frequency to shift to the blue region, resulting in a blue shift of the PL spectrum.

Efficiency enhancement of micro-light-emitting diode with shrinking size by localized surface plasmons coupling

Efficiency enhancement of micro-light-emitting diode with shrinking size by localized surface plasmons coupling

Strong coupling of localized surface plasmons and intermolecular vibration mode at terahertz frequencies

Organic molecular vibrations, typically occurring in the terahertz (THz) regime, can resonate with a metastructure. A hallmark Rabi splitting occurs when the coupling strength is sufficiently strong. In this work, we observe the strong coupling of localized surface plasmons (LSPs) and intermolecular vibration mode at THz on a metasurface spin-coated with organic molecule α-lactose monohydrate. Excited by transverse-electric THz waves, dispersive localized surface plasmons interact with nondispersive intermolecular vibrations and form two vibro-polariton modes. The angle-resolved transmission spectra of the coupled system are detected by using a terahertz time-domain spectrometer, demonstrating an anti-crossing effect with a clear Rabi splitting. By retrieving the coupling strength and Hopfield coefficients of polariton bands from the measured data, we further verify that these two bands originate from the strong coupling between LSPs and molecular vibration mode. Moreover, we show that it is possible to implement molecular concentration sensing based on this strong coupling effect. This study demonstrates a unique approach to investigate vibro-polaritons at the terahertz regime and provides a testbed for future applications of strong coupling effects in chemical detection and biosensing.

Localized Surface Plasmon Coupling Nanorods With Graphene as a Transparent Conductive Electrode for Micro Light-Emitting Diodes

A localized surface plasmon (LSP) coupling nanorod <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu $ </tex-math></inline-formula> LED using graphene as a transparent conductive electrode structure was demonstrated. The optical performance of the <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu $ </tex-math></inline-formula> LED with LSP coupling is enhanced by about 36% in external quantum efficiency and 84% in photoluminescence measurements as compared with the LSP-free sample. This LSP coupling enhancement relies on the very large sidewall area provided by the nanorod structure and the zero distance contact between the nanoparticles and nanorods. This work provides a broad prospect for the application of LSP in the <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu $ </tex-math></inline-formula> LED field.

Efficiency improvement of GaN-based micro-light-emitting diodes embedded with Ag NPs into a periodic arrangement of nano-hole channel structure by ultra close range localized surface plasmon coupling

NH-μLED, namely a micro light-emitting diode structure with nano-holes dug all the way through the active region, is designed to make silver nanoparticles in extremely close contact with the quantum wells for improving the coupling between the localized surface plasmon and the quantum wells (LSP-QWs coupling) and thus enhancing the optical properties of the μLED. The experimental results show that, thanks to this deep nanohole structure, the LSP-QWs coupling can be realized effectively, which ultimately increases the optical performance of the μLED. The internal quantum efficiency of the NH-μLED filled with silver nanoparticles is increased by 12%, and the final optical output power is also enhanced. We have further carried out a comparison study which measures the transient lifetime of two different types of μLEDs, and the results provide convincing evidence for the existence of the ultra close range LSP-QWs coupling effect.

Strong coupling of plasmonic waves in graphene for light confinement

The interplay between light and matter is highly required in many fundamental processes and optical devices. Herein, a hybrid graphene-based coupling system in the far-infrared range is proposed to investigate effective light confinement. In our system, the coupling of localized surface plasmons (LSPs) in graphene nanoribbons and Tamm surface plasmons (TSP) in a graphene sheet produces a hybrid dual-band absorption. This property is numerically verified by full electromagnetic simulations and analytically calculated by the rigorous coupled wave theory (RCWA). The hybrid nature of the two optical modes reflected by coupled oscillator model is discussed carefully, and the influences of incident angle and the geometric parameter on the coupling system are also analyzed. We have found that the coupling strength of the hybrid optical mode can be manipulated flexibly by the incident angle and the geometric parameter. Additionally, the group time delay of the light has also been considered, and calculated values as high as 114 ps. This work offers a new paradigm for tunable light-graphene interaction, and facilitates the design of slow light devices in the far-infrared spectral band.

Enhanced Resonant Energy Transfer by Decorating Au Nanoparticles on the Sidewalls of InGaN Multiple‐Quantum‐Well Nanorods

An enhanced resonant energy transfer (RET) process between green InGaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) and CdSe/ZnS quantum dots (QDs) is investigated by decorating the sidewalls of InGaN MQW nanorods with Au nanoparticles. The InGaN MQW nanorods are shallow‐etched to the region of InGaN MQWs or deep‐etched through InGaN MQWs completely. The Au nanoparticles can provide localized surface plasmon coupling to both InGaN MQWs and QDs, leading to accelerated decay rates. The localized surface plasmons also enhance the RET process between InGaN MQWs and QDs. Compared to the bare nanorods without Au nanoparticles, the enhancement factors of the RET process are 1.8 and 5.6 for shallow‐ and deep‐etched MQW nanorods, respectively. The larger enhancement factor for deep‐etched nanorods is mainly attributed to the weaker localized surface plasmon coupling with InGaN MQWs, which is proposed to compete with the RET process. The RET efficiency in the deep‐etched InGaN MQW nanorods is calculated as 62%, demonstrating high potential for usage in energy conversion devices.

The impact of LSP–SPP coupling on the electric field enhancement of a composite SERS substrate consisting of an Au 2D sinusoidal grating and Ag colloidal nanoparticles

In this study, a composite Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) substrate, consisting of an Au 2D sinusoidal grating and Ag colloidal nanoparticles (AgNPs-Au2DSG), was designed. The impact of the coupling of surface plasmon polariton (SPP) and localized surface plasmon (LSP) on electric field enhancement of the composite substrate, insensitive to the polarization of incident light, is thoroughly discussed and studied. FDTD simulations showed that the maximum enhancement factor (EF) of the substrate appeared at the LSP–SPP coupling resonance frequencies. For the incident light of TM at 785 nm, the substrate had a larger hot spot area and EF when the AgNP radius was 50∼60 nm. By adapting the size of the AgNPs, the SPP–LSP coupling can be optimized to offer greater electric enhancement at the wavelengths of interest, contributing to the practical improvement of SERS detection.

Study on Localized Surface Plasmon Coupling with Many Radiators.

Localized surface plasmon (LSP) coupling with many radiators are investigated. The LSP is generated by excitation of laser or electron beam on the random Ag nano particles (NPs) and arrayed ones embedded in the p-GaN of green LEDs. They couple with the excitons or radiative recombination in the quantum well (QW) and electron beam, which enhance or suppress the luminescence of the radiators. The photoluminescence (PL) intensity of periodic Ag NPs can get as much as 4.5 times higher than that of bare LED. In addition to the periodic structure, the morphology of Ag NPs also affects the localized SP (LSP) resonance intensity and light scattering efficiency. In the finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulation, five x-polarized dipoles are approximated to five quantum wells. Considering the interaction between the five dipoles and their feedback effect on LSP, the enhancement effect of SP dipole coupling with Ag NPs is amplified and the energy dissipation is reduced. The enhancement of cathodoluminescence (CL) was also found in green LEDs with Ag NPs. The three-body model composed of two orthogonal dipoles and an Ag NP is used for 3D FDTD simulation. The LSP-QWs coupling effect is separated from the electron beam (e-beam)-LSP-QW system by linear approximation. Under the excitation of electron beam, the introduction of z-dipole greatly reduces the energy dissipation. In the cross-sectional sample, z-polarized dipoles in QWs show more coupling strength to the dipole and quadrupole modes of LSP. The perturbation theory is used to separate the LSP coupling effects to x-dipole and z-dipole. At last, the resonator and the antenna effects are discussed for LSP coupling at different positions to the Ag NP.

Silver-Nanowire-Based Localized-Surface-Plasmon-Assisted Transparent Conducting Electrode for High-Efficiency Light-Emitting Diode

Silver nanowire (Ag NWs) networks with high transparency and low resistivity are widely used as promising candidates for the replacement of indium tin oxide (ITO)-based transparent conducting oxides (TCOs) in light-emitting diodes (LEDs). However, LEDs with Ag NW electrodes are less efficient than those with ITO electrodes because of their low electrical properties, such as high contact resistance and strong absorption in the visible region. In this work, we tried to improve the efficiency of LEDs with transparent conducting electrodes of Ag NWs networks via localized surface plasmons (LSPs) by adopting silver nanoparticles. We studied the effect of the thickness of the p-GaN layer on surface plasmon coupling. When a 45 nm thick p-GaN layer was used, the internal quantum efficiency was improved by LSP coupling between a dipole of QW and Ag NW/NP, and the light extraction was improved because the NPs afforded a leakage mode and acted as scattering centers.

Independently tunable double Fano-like resonances arising from the interference coupling of localized surface plasmons with waveguide modes

Research on the classical analogy of asymmetric Fano resonances has gained momentum in recent years, owing to the steep dispersion of the Fano-like profile in classical systems, such as plasmonic nanostructures and metamaterials, which has numerous applications. We studied the double Fano-like resonances arising in a waveguide structure made of a periodic array of gold nanospheres placed on the top surface of an indium tin oxide (ITO) film, which is deposited on a silica substrate. These resonances emanate from the interference coupling between the dipolar surface plasmon mode of the individual gold nanospheres and the zero-order transverse electric (TE) and transverse magnetic (TM) waveguide modes within the ITO film. Increasing the array period of the gold nanospheres or thickness of the ITO film shifted the resonance peaks towards the low-frequency side corresponding to the excitation frequencies of the zero-order TE and TM waveguide modes, which were red-shifted. Additionally, the double Fano-like resonance profiles were approximated using an analytical Fano interference model.

High-Q perfect absorption induced by the coupling of LSP and SPP modes

At optical frequencies, we design an anisotropic metasurface to realize high-Q perfect absorption in numerical calculation. By establishing the Norton equivalent network model, we first reveal that the root cause of this phenomenon is the coupling excitation of the localized surface plasmon (LSP) mode and the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) mode. This absorber can realize bifunctional switching and is expected to realize the energy conversion of photons–SPP–photons. Meanwhile, we analyze the control of the structural design on high-Q perfect absorption. This research will provide theoretical guidance for the further development of applications related to high-Q perfect absorption such as absorption filters with specific wavelengths and narrow band photon emitters.

Plasmonic modes in cylindrical nanoparticles and dimers.

We present analytical expressions for the resonance frequencies of the plasmonic modes hosted in a cylindrical nanoparticle within the quasi-static approximation. Our theoretical model gives us access to both the longitudinally and transversally polarized dipolar modes for a metallic cylinder with an arbitrary aspect ratio, which allows us to capture the physics of both plasmonic nanodisks and nanowires. We also calculate quantum mechanical corrections to these resonance frequencies due to the spill-out effect, which is of relevance for cylinders with nanometric dimensions. We go on to consider the coupling of localized surface plasmons in a dimer of cylindrical nanoparticles, which leads to collective plasmonic excitations. We extend our theoretical formalism to construct an analytical model of the dimer, describing the evolution with the inter-nanoparticle separation of the resultant bright and dark collective modes. We comment on the renormalization of the coupled mode frequencies due to the spill-out effect, and discuss some methods of experimental detection.

Influence of nonlocal dielectric response on the Au tip-enhanced fluorescence effect

Tip-enhanced fluorescence (TEF) with ultra-high detection sensitivity and spatial resolution has been a powerful characterization technique in the study of surface science and life science. Herein, a systematically theoretical investigation in the visible range had been performed to study TEF properties of a single molecule located inside a nanogap formed by Au tip and substrate. In the strong localized surface plasmon coupling effect, the contribution of nonlocal dielectric response to the fluorescence quantum yield as well as radiative and energy dissipated decay rates were calculated. It is found that the nonlocal dielectric effects become comparable to the radiative and energy dissipated decay rates with the increasing of the tip-molecule distance, as a result, the nonlocal dielectric effect significantly suppresses the fluorescence process. The huge excitation enhancement at the shorter tip-molecule distance can efficiently compensate the low quantum yield, leading to the great fluorescence enhancement. The results show that the maximum enhancement obtained from the calculations can reach as high as four orders of magnitude by optimizing the tip-molecule distance. These results are not only helpful to our understanding of the TEF mechanism but also valuable for its further applications.

Efficiency Improvement of MAPbI3 Perovskite Solar Cells Based on a CsPbBr3 Quantum Dot/Au Nanoparticle Composite Plasmonic Light-Harvesting Layer

We demonstrate a method to enhance the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of MAPbI3 perovskite solar cells through localized surface plasmon (LSP) coupling with gold nanoparticles:CsPbBr3 hybrid perovskite quantum dots (AuNPs:QD-CsPbBr3). The plasmonic AuNPs:QD-CsPbBr3 possess the features of high light-harvesting capacity and fast charge transfer through the LSP resonance effect, thus improving the short-circuit current density and the fill factor. Compared to the original device without Au NPs, a 27.8% enhancement in PCE of plasmonic AuNPs:QD-CsPbBr3/MAPbI3 perovskite solar cells was achieved upon 120 μL Au NP solution doping. This improvement can be attributed to the formation of surface plasmon resonance and light scattering effects in Au NPs embedded in QD-CsPbBr3, resulting in improved light absorption due to plasmonic nanoparticles.

Hollow Palladium‐Gold Nanochains with Periodic Concave Structures as Superior ORR Electrocatalysts and Highly Efficient SERS Substrates

AbstractUnique palladium‐gold hollow nanochains (PdAu HCs) with 1D architecture and an ultrathin Pd‐rich skin exhibit fantastic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) enhancements due to their high conductivity, structural stability, and maximized atomic utilization. More importantly, such PdAu HCs possess periodic concave structures that boost ORR performance. These structures readily form high‐density high‐index facets, and fewer arc edges. Concave structures can deliver strong strain effects and surface charge accumulation is revealed by off‐axis electron holography. In addition, periodic concave structures can provide strong localized surface–plasmon coupling, which means that PdAu HCs have great potential as efficient surface‐enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrates. This study offers a novel and general approach for the design of complex noble metal‐based nanostructures as efficient ORR catalysts and SERS substrates.

In Situ Enhanced Raman and Photoluminescence of Bio-Hybrid Ag/Polymer Nanoparticles by Localized Surface Plasmon for Highly Sensitive DNA Sensors

We experimentally demonstrate the simultaneous enhancement of Raman and photoluminescence (PL) of core-shell hybrid nanoparticles consisting of Ag (core) and polydiacetylene (PDA, shell) through the assistance of localized surface plasmon (LSP) effect for the effective biosensor. Core-shell nanoparticles (NPs) are fabricated in deionized water through a sequential process of reprecipitation and self-assembly. The Raman signal of PDA on core-shell NPs is enhanced more than 100 times. Also, highly enhanced photoluminescence is observed on Ag/PDA hybrid NPs after coupling of the complementary t-DNA with p-DNA which are immobilized on PDA shell. This indicates that the core Ag affects the Raman and PL of PDA through the LSP resonance, which can be caused by the energy and/or charge transfer caused by the LSP coupling and the strong electromagnetic field near Ag NP surface. Only electrons present on the surface interact with the PDA shell, not involving the electrically neutral part of the electrons inside the Ag NP. Furthermore, this work shows that as prepared Ag/PDA NPs functionalized by probe DNA can sense the target DNA with an attomolar concentration (100 attomole).

Size dependence of emission enhancement of Tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato) aluminum with plasmonic Al nanostructure

It is essential to understand which mechanism of localized surface plasmon (LSP) emission enhancement is to be utilized when combining plasmonic metal nanostructures with an emissive material to produce an optoelectronic device. Herein, we report on the size dependence and time-resolved dynamics of photoluminescence (PL) enhancement using three sizes of aluminum nanotriangles (Al NTs) on emission by tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato)aluminum (Alq3) for elucidating its enhancement mechanism. Al nanostructures were fabricated using a nanosphere lithography technique. Two-dimensionally aligned polystyrene (PSt) beads with different diameters were used as mask templates for obtaining the Al NTs. The absorption peaks red-shifted with increasing Al NT size, and hence, were attributed to the LSP resonance. From PL of Alq3 with and without Al NTs, 2–3 fold PL enhancements were observed among the samples with different Al NTs sizes. The significant shortening of the PL lifetime was observed only in Alq3/Al NTs using Ps500, indicating the effective coupling of LSP of Al NTs and the emission, which is also evidenced from the overlapping the PL peak and the LSP absorption. In contrast, the PL emission enhancement due to LSP coupling with the absorption process of Alq3 was dominant in Alq3/Al NTs using Ps200, suggested from the similarity of the PL decay curve with that of bare Alq3, and the excitation energy matching with LSP resonance. From these observation, we can distinguish the LSP coupling process (absorption or emission) from the presence or absence of lifetime enhancement in the time-resolved PL measurements, offering a guideline for designing the optical devices incorporating the metal nanostructures.