Surface Plasmon Dispersion Research Articles

Hybrid magneto-plasmonic structure consisting of hexagonal periodic nanodisks array with giant transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect for sensing application

The present study proposes a theoretical design of the magneto-optical surface plasmon resonance (MOSPR) refractive index sensor that utilizes a magnetic field for modulating the dispersion of surface plasmon. This sensor based on the transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect (TMOKE) is constructed using a hybrid magneto-plasmonic film covered with an array of hexagonal periodic Au nanodisks. The structural parameters were optimized to obtain the Fano shape TMOKE response characterized by an extremely narrow bandwidth (0.00997°) and remarkably high amplitude (0.99). The excitation of the optimal surface plasmon resonance (SPR) and the resonance enhancement effect of multi-mode coupling enables us to achieve a surface sensitivity of 207.5 deg RIU−1 and a high figure of merit of the order of 104 RIU−1, surpassing conventional SPR and MOSPR sensors by at least one order of magnitude. The present study offers a comprehensive guideline for the design of high-performance magneto-plasmonic sensors, facilitating instrument miniaturization and manufacturing cost reduction.

Surface Plasmon's Dispersion Properties of Vanadium Oxide Films

Surface Plasmon's Dispersion Properties of Vanadium Oxide Films

Ultrafast Laser-Induced Dynamics of Non-Equilibrium Electron Spill-Out in Nanoplasmonic Bilayers.

Contemporary quantum plasmonics capture subtle corrections to the properties of plasmonic nano-objects in equilibrium. Here, we demonstrate non-equilibrium spill-out redistribution of the electronic density at the ultrafast time scale. As revealed by time-resolved 2D spectroscopy of nanoplasmonic Fe/Au bilayers, an injection of the laser-excited non-thermal electrons induces transient electron spill-out thus changing the plasma frequency. The response of the local electronic density switches the electronic density behavior from spill-in to strong (an order of magnitude larger) spill-out at the femtosecond time scale. The superdiffusive transport of hot electrons and the lack of a direct laser heating indicate significantly non-thermal origin of the underlying physics. Our results demonstrate an ultrafast and non-thermal way to control surface plasmon dispersion through transient variations of the spatial electron distribution at the nanoscale. These findings expand quantum plasmonics into previously unexplored directions by introducing ultrashort time scales in the non-equilibrium electronic systems.

Engineered FWHM enhancement in plasmonic nanoresonators for multiplexer/demultiplexer in visible and NIR range

Plasmonic multiplexer/demultiplexer (M/D) device is a basic element in optical integrated circuits. In this regard, we report on: (i) Deriving exact analytical coupled-mode theory relations, when a plasmonic layer is placed on ‎dielectrics with up to six plasmons excitation frequencies; (ii) How to alter reduce the discrepancy between the analytical and the finite difference time domain ‎results at the visible and near-infrared range, correctly identifying the point that the plasmons start to damp. A novel plasmonic disk resonator-based drop filter with a small size and high-quality factor is proposed to design two-channel, four-channel and six-channel M/Ds. According to the simulation results, for two-channel, four-channel, and six-channel M/Ds the minimum FWHM values of 6.44 nm, 5.5 nm, and 7 nm, the maximum quality factors of 126, 147.6, and 90.5, and the minimum cross-talks of − 36.1 dB, − 46 dB, and − 41 dB are obtained. Our achievements are significant because the new model (I) Overcomes the limitations in surface plasmons dispersion observed from the 2D classical ‎model; (II) Describes the proper behavior of plasmons in the presence of plasmonic multiplexer; (III) Pave a way of calculating accurate theoretical current in plasmonic filters by providing ‎accurate plasmonic content.

Engineering the Dispersion of Surface Plasmon Polariton/Epsilon‐Near‐Zero Modes through Modal Separation and Optical Confinement

Doped cadmium oxide (CdO) films support tunable, low‐loss surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) and epsilon‐near‐zero (ENZ) modes throughout the mid‐infrared. Prior work demonstrated that polaritonic strong coupling could be realized in bilayer films of CdO supporting adjacent SPP and ENZ modes. The hybridized SPP‐ENZ dispersion displays a prominent anti‐crossing with an amplitude dependent on the spectral and spatial overlap of the modes. Here, we leverage the low carrier diffusivity, in concert with the broad tunability of the plasma frequency in CdO to control the SPP‐ENZ dispersion within monolithic, multilayer CdO structures featuring dielectric, unintentionally doped CdO coatings or spacer layers. In the case of the former, the coating induces further compression of the polaritonic fields, altering the dielectric environment. In contrast, when incorporated as a spacer layer, the spatial overlap of the constituent polaritonic near‐fields is reduced. In all cases, the anti‐crossing behavior of the hybrid SPP‐ENZ modes is maintained, thus inheriting the extreme light confinement of the ENZ mode and extended propagation length of the SPPs. Through simultaneous control over the SPP‐ENZ coupling strength and group velocities, significant tunability over the SPP‐ENZ dispersion is demonstrated, enabling applications such as in‐plane waveguiding, tailored thermal emission, and tunable near‐field heat transfer.

Infrared plasmons in ultrahigh conductive PdCoO2 metallic oxide

PdCoO2 layered delafossite is the most conductive compound among metallic oxides, with a room-temperature resistivity of nearly 2,mu Omega ,{{{{{rm{cm}}}}}}, corresponding to a mean free path of about 600 Å. These values represent a record considering that the charge density of PdCoO2 is three times lower than copper. Although its notable electronic transport properties, PdCoO2 collective charge density modes (i.e. surface plasmons) have never been investigated, at least to our knowledge. In this paper, we study surface plasmons in high-quality PdCoO2 thin films, patterned in the form of micro-ribbon arrays. By changing their width W and period 2W, we select suitable values of the plasmon wavevector q, experimentally sampling the surface plasmon dispersion in the mid-infrared electromagnetic region. Near the ribbon edge, we observe a strong field enhancement due to the plasmon confinement, indicating PdCoO2 as a promising infrared plasmonic material.

Surface Plasmons Excited by X-rays in the Surface Layers of Solids

The phenomenon of total external reflection of X-rays at a sliding angle of incidence of a beam of incident X-rays is investigated. For metals, a quantitative law of direct dependence of the refractive index decrement on the interplane distance is obtained. The excitation of surface plasmons by X-rays that have experienced complete external reflection is detected. For surface plasmons, a dimensional effect was observed, expressed in an increase in the energy of plasmons and the concentration of conduction electrons with an increase in the depth of the output of surface plasmons. By the method of dispersion of surface plasmons, internal mechanical micro-stresses and spontaneous polarization of the surface layers of glassy dielectrics and in thin layers of vanadium dioxide were determined. The absence of micro-stresses in the lithium fluoride ionic single crystal was found out, and the polarization observed in it is due to the large dipole moment of the molecules of this crystal. In thin films of vanadium dioxide, the dependence of micro-stresses on the stresses in the substrates was found.

Tuning surface plasmon-exciton coupling via thickness controlling of excitonic layer

We present the Rabi energy tuning effects in strong coupling effects between surface plasmon (SP) and exciton in the Kretschmann-Raether configuration by varying excitonic layer thickness. Both experimental results and theoretical calculations indicate that the anticross-like dispersion relation comes from the rapid change of permittivity near the exciton state and can be attributed to the strong coupling between SP and exciton. Our findings reveal that the excitonic layer plays a key role in the SP-exciton coupling. The increase of the excitonic layer will not only enlarge the Rabi splitting energy, but also cause the redshift of SP dispersion relation. Thus to fulfill the coupling condition, there is a critical thickness of the excitonic layer at specific incident angle . With the increase of excitonic layer thickness, the Rabi energy increases monotonously and tends to saturate. Our findings will be beneficial for the better understanding of SP-exciton strong coupling in KR configuration and can be useful in tuning the Rabi energy and resonant conditions according to practical applications.

(Invited) Spectroscopic Properties of Black Phosphorus Crystals and Layers

Black Phosphorus stands out in the 2D-materials panorama by its unique semiconducting properties: direct bandgap which can be tuned by the layer number in a wide range of wavelengths from visible (monolayer) to midinfrared (bulk) [1]. This tunability combined the anisotropy of the structure therefore offers promising perspectives in various fields such as electronics and photonics. However, the fast photooxidation in ambient condition, coupled to a high sensitivity to quantum confinement and dielectric environment in ultrathin BP, make very difficult the investigations on its intrinsic optical properties [2]. Further, as screening effects may strongly affect electronic and spectroscopic properties of 2D materials, it is highly desirable to investigate intrinsic properties of free-standing layers as well the ones of the bulk material which remain poorly known.To start with, we have investigated the infrared photoluminescence of BP single crystals at very low temperature [3]. Near-band-edge recombinations are observed at 2 K, including dominant excitonic transitions at 0.276 eV and a weaker one at 0.278 eV. The free-exciton binding energy is calculated with an anisotropic Wannier-Mott model and found equal to 9.1 meV. On the contrary, the PL intensity quenching of the 0.276 eV peak at high temperature is found with a much smaller activation energy, attributed to the localization of free excitons on a shallow impurity. This analysis leads us to attribute respectively the 0.276 eV and 0.278 eV PL lines to bound excitons (I°X) and free excitons (X) in BP. As a result, the value of bulk BP electronic bandgap is refined to 0.287 eV at 2K, to serve as reference for future work on thin BP layers [3].As far as the thinnest layers are concerned, which cannot manipulated in air, we have shown that Angular resolved Electron energy loss spectroscopy implemented in Transmission Electron Microscopy (Ar-EELS-TEM) offers a unique way to investigate dielectric response of free-standing layers related to valence band and plasmon excitations with the advantage to get access to their q dispersion and their symmetry properties [4]. By combining this technique with suitable ab initio calculations, we have studied the dielectric response of free-standing BP layers as a function of the number of layers. We found optical bandgap values of 1.9 eV, 1.4 eV and 1.1 eV for the mono- bi- and trilayer respectively. Moreover, by combining our results with a simple variational model, we correlate the exciton energy with the dielectric screening. We hence demonstrate that the variations of the electronic gap are sizeably larger than the variations of the binding energy. Finally, we probe and analyze the volume and surface plasmons dispersion as a function of momentum for the 1-3 BP layers and bulk and highlight a deviation and linearization of the parabolic dispersion with strong anisotropic fingerprints [5].[1] G. Zhang et al., Nat. Com., 8, 14071, (2017)[2] A. Favron, E. Gaufres et al Nature Mat. 14 (2015) 826.[3] E. Carré et al, 2D Materials (2020) :doi.org/10.1088/2053-1583/abca81[4] F. Fossard et al, Phys. Rev. B 96, 115304 (2017)[5] E. Gaufres et al, Nanoletters 19, 8303 (2019); DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.9b03928

Dual-mode surface plasmon resonance sensor chip using a grating 3D-printed prism

The method for fabricating a grating prism surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensor chip was developed. The grating prism was 3D-printed by a stereolithography 3D printer and subsequently created a grating pattern by soft lithography. A gold film was thermally evaporated on the grating prism. Moreover, a liquid cell was 3D-printed and assembled into a gold-coated grating prism. To make the sensor chip compact and practical, a compatible prism holder was 3D-printed by a fused deposition model 3D printer. The SPR sensor chip was mounted on the rotation stage and the SPR spectrum was recorded by spectrometer. The SPR excitation of the sensor chip can be extended to the near-infrared region by creating a grating pattern on the prism surface. A gold-coated grating prism exhibited dual modes of SPR excitations, namely, prism-coupling SPR (PC-SPR) and grating-coupling SPR (GC-SPR). The dual-mode SPR excitation was observed at the incident angles of 45°–80°. When the incident angle increased, the SPR excitation of the PC-SPR mode exhibited a blue shift in the wavelength region of 480–690 nm, whereas the GC-SPR mode exhibited a red shift in the wavelength region of 670–770 nm. The surface plasmon (SP) dispersion obtained from the dual-mode SPR configuration confirmed observable PC-SPR (which corresponded to + SP0 of the gold–resin interface) and GC-SPR (which corresponded to −SP+1 of the gold–air interface), which could be excited from the developed substrate. The refractive index sensitivities of the PC-SPR and GC-SPR modes were 2924.4 and 414.9 nm RIU−1, respectively. The SPR excitations of the sensor chip exhibited a simultaneous shift when the local refractive index of the materials adjacent to the gold-coated grating prism surface was changed, especially the material that had overlapping light absorption at the SPR excitation wavelength. Using this fabrication process, the prism is designed and then printed; moreover, the grating pattern on the prism surface can be employed to tune the SPR excitation wavelength of the sensor chip for the versatility and broad perspective of the optical sensing-based SPR.

Control of the surface plasmon dispersion and Purcell effect at the metamaterial-dielectric interface

The use of metamaterial as a way to mitigate the negative effects of absorption in metals on the Purcell effect in metal-dielectric structures is investigated. A layered metal-dielectric structure is considered as an anisotropic medium in the long-wavelength limit. The dispersion of the surface plasmon appearing at the boundary between such a structure and a different dielectric material, as well as the position of the peak in the local density of states are studied for various combinations of materials and filling factors of the periodic structure. The calculated frequency dependence of the Purcell factor demonstrates an increase in peak value compared to the conventional plasmonic structure. The results obtained using effective media approach are compared to the results of numerical modelling.

Broadband diffraction-free on-chip propagation along hybrid metallic grating metasurfaces in the visible frequency

Metallic patterned metasurfaces can effectively manipulate the propagation of surface plasmonic waves in the near-field regime. Extraordinary optical phenomena such as diffraction-free propagation also have been enabled by periodic uniform metallic grating metasurfaces (UMGM). However, such metallic patterned metasurfaces usually exhibit a relatively narrow-band non-diffractive property and the realization of visible-frequency broadband diffraction-free on-chip propagation has been quite challenging due to intensive structural dispersive and sensitive wavelength selectivity. Here, we proposed a novel design of a hybrid metallic grating metasurface (HMGM) with two different ridge widths, which could display a broadband diffraction-free on-chip propagation in the visible frequency. By optimization and appropriate hybridization of the ridges of different widths, it enables effective modication of the dispersion of surface plasmons, thus forming the broadband diffraction-free characteristics. Compared to the UMGM, our proposed HMGM can facilitate enhanced propagation of the surface plasmon polaritons and strongly confine the surface plasmonic field to the deep-subwavelength scale. With such hybrid implementation, the surface plasmonic waves propagate parallel to the ridges and their wavefronts remain the original shape without diverging at the broadband wavelength of 600 nm–800 nm. Overall, such broadband diffraction-free propagation along the HMGM could find many potential applications in on-chip plasmonic devices including sub-diffraction resolution imaging, hyperlenses, and photon routing, etc.

Surface plasmon dispersion and modes on the graphene metasurface with periodical ribbon arrays

Graphene plasmonics on the structured metasurface demonstrate many exotic properties which can combine novel nanomaterials and well-established plasmonics, providing unique opportunities to develop a series of novel photonic, plasmonic and optoelectronic devices across a wideband spectrum. Dispersion theory and its propagating characteristics of surface plasmon polaritons (SSPs) mode along the graphene metasurface can provide a powerful guidance to design related devices and systems. In this paper, the fundamental dispersion theory and the numerical studies of graphene SSPs (GSPs) on a graphene metasurface i.e. periodical ribbon arrays which are bounded by a superstrate and substrate dielectric are presented. The dispersion expression of GSPs is deduced and revealed by a modal expansion method combined with periodical boundary conditions on the structure. According to this fully analytical dispersion expression of SSPs mode on the graphene metasurface, the dispersion characteristics, propagation loss and field profiles of SSPs mode with different graphene material parameters (e.g. graphene ribbon width and chemical potential) and bounded dielectric mediums are studied and analyzed in detail in terahertz (THz) band. Moreover, the dynamical tunable dispersion characteristics of SSPs mode on the graphene metasurface via electrostatic gating of a ground metal plate can be readily obtained by applying a graphene biased voltage model to this analytical dispersion theory. The presented studies on the dispersion theory of the graphene metasurface provide an analytical method to understand the propagation characteristics of SSPs mode on the structure. Besides, the calculation results on the structure can also be used to design some novel graphene-based optoelectronic and plasmonic devices with planar gradient-index distributions such as couplers, tunable focused lens and enhanced radiation sources in THz band.

Optical properties of two-walled carbon nanotubes: quasi-static approximation

In this paper, some optical properties of a two-walled carbon nanotube are studied. The system is represented by two infinitely long and infinitesimally thin coaxial cylindrical shells, each containing a two-dimensional electron nano-fluid. The quasi-static approximation and the quantum hydrodynamic model are adopted in order to obtain the optical response of the system. General expressions for polarizability, dispersion of dipole surface plasmons and induced surface charges of the system are derived, by solving the Laplace and fluid equations with appropriate boundary conditions. Also, by using the polarizability formula, scattering, absorption and extinction spectra are computed and expressed in terms of widths, which are defined as the cross sections per unit length of the system. Furthermore, the Maxwell-Garnett theory for the effective medium approximation of composite materials is developed to the effective dielectric function of a composite of aligned two-walled carbon nanotubes.

Surface plasmon dispersion engineering for optimizing scattering, emission, and radiation properties on a graphene spherical device.

We present a dispersion engineering method based on the rigorous electromagnetic theory to study the scattering properties of a double graphene layer spherical structure. The localized surface plasmons (LSPs) supported by the structure provide resonance channels that lead to an enhancement of the electromagnetic cross section. The method is used to find conditions under which two different multipolar LSP resonances occur at the same frequency value. The superscattering feature under these conditions is revealed by an extraordinary enhancement of the scattering cross section when the structure is illuminated by a plane wave field. Moreover, by studying the behavior of a single emitter localized near the graphene sphere, we show that the spontaneous emission and radiation efficiencies are also largely enhanced when the two different LSP resonances overlap.

(Invited) Momentum-Resolved Dielectric Response of Free Standing Black Phosphorus Down to the Monolayer

Atomic layers of Black Phosphorus (BP) have been recently isolated, ten years after graphene. BP stands out in the 2D-materials panorama by its unique semiconducting properties: direct bandgap which can be tuned by the layer number in a wide range of wavelengths from visible (monolayer) to midinfrared (bulk) [1]. This tunability combined the anisotropy of the structure therefore offers promising perspectives in various fields such as electronics and photonics. However, the fast photooxidation in ambient condition, coupled to a high sensitivity to quantum confinement and dielectric environment in ultrathin BP, make very difficult the investigations on its intrinsic optical properties [2]. Further, as screening effects may strongly affect electronic and spectroscopic properties of 2D materials, it is highly desirable to investigate intrinsic properties of free-standing layers as well the ones of the bulk material which remain poorly known.To start with, we have investigated photoluminescence (PL) and absorption properties of high quality BP single crystals at 2K [FTIR]. The PL intensity appears comparable to high quality InAs crystals confirming the suitability of BP for infrared applications. Two peaks are evidenced at 0.275 eV and 0.26 eV. The highest energy peak is particularly narrow (FWHM = 3.8meV) and is tentatively attributed to exciton recombination, thanks to the temperature dependence of PL spectra from 2K to 300K. Further, we have measured the gap related energy shift of the PL spectra as a function of the BP thickness in a series of mechanically exfoliated samples with thicknesses down to 10 nm, complementary to the previous measures done on thinner samples [3].As far as the thinnest layers are concerned, which cannot manipulated in air, we have shown that Angular resolved Electron energy loss spectroscopy implemented in Transmission Electron Microscopy (Ar-EELS-TEM) offers a unique way to investigate dielectric response of free-standing layers related to valence band and plasmon excitations with the advantage to get access to their q dispersion and their symmetry properties [4]. By combining this technique with suitable ab initio calculations, we have studied the dielectric response of free-standing BP layers as a function of the number of layers. We found optical bandgap values of 1.9 eV, 1.4 eV and 1.1 eV for the mono- bi- and trilayer respectively. Moreover, by combining our results with a simple variational model, we correlate the exciton energy with the dielectric screening. We hence demonstrate that the variations of the electronic gap are sizeably larger than the variations of the binding energy. Finally, we probe and analyze the volume and surface plasmons dispersion as a function of momentum for the 1-3 BP layers and bulk and highlight a deviation and linearization of the parabolic dispersion with strong anisotropic fingerprints [5].[1] G. Zhang et al., Nat. Com., 8, 14071, (2017)[2] A. Favron, E. Gaufres et al Nature Mat. 14 (2015) 826.[3] C. Chen et al., NanoLett., (2019)[4] F. Fossard et al, Phys. Rev. B 96, 115304 (2017)[5] E. Gaufres et al, Nanoletters (2019); DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.9b03928

Dynamical density and spin response of Fermi arcs and their consequences for Weyl semimetals

Weyl semimetals exhibit exotic Fermi-arc surface states, which strongly affect their electromagnetic properties. We derive analytical expressions for all components of the composite density-spin response tensor for the surfaces states of a Weyl-semimetal model obtained by closing the band gap in a topological insulating state and introducing a time-reversal-symmetry-breaking term. Based on the results, we discuss the electromagnetic susceptibilities, the current response, and other physical effects arising from the density-spin response. We find a magnetoelectric effect caused solely by the Fermi arcs. We also discuss the effect of electron-electron interactions within the random phase approximation and investigate the dispersion of surface plasmons formed by Fermi-arc states. Our work is useful for understanding the electromagnetic and optical properties of the Fermi arcs.

Dynamical environmental effects lowering the plasmon energy and lifetime in doped carbon nanotubes

The theoretically predicted plasmon energy in doped carbon nanotubes overestimates the observed value by more than 10%. We find that an environment with finite conductivity reduces both the plasmon energy and lifetime, which also accounts for an experimental indication that the plasmon is invisible when a specific substance is used to dope nanotubes. We grasp the mechanism by calculating the change in the surface plasmon dispersions for graphene with conductive electrodes.

Long-range surface plasmon resonance enhanced transmission of light through silver-coated Cytop gratings

In this study, transmission surface plasmon resonance (TSPR) signal of a silver-coated Cytop grating/glass slide substrate was investigated in combination with a hyperspectral imaging technique. The TSPR excitation peaks, corresponding to surface plasmon (SP) dispersion modes of +2 (−SP+2) and −1 (+SP−1), were simultaneously observed. The TSPR signal of −SP+2 mode at the visible light region was further enhanced by increasing Cytop thickness. A 2-time stronger in TSPR intensity of the developed substrate than that of conventional silver-coated polycarbonate grating substrate was observed. Since the structure of the substrate was the silver film bound by Cytop and water that had similar dielectric constants, this enhancement was due to a long-range SP resonance effect. TSPR hyperspectral image of developed substrate while injecting different concentrations of ethylene glycol solutions into a five-microchannel assembled to the substrate were recorded and TSPR hyperspectra were then plotted to acquire the sensitivity of this technique. This technique gave a sensitivity of 315.0 nm RIU−1. According to the sensitive changes of TSPR hyperspectral image to the refractive index of an environment, this technique showed high potential with respect to further development of sensing devices based TSPR imaging system.

Electron spill-out effects in plasmon excitations by fast electrons

A new non-retarded hydrodynamic approach to the interaction between a fast electron and a diffuse metal-vacuum interface is presented. The metal is characterized by the parameters of a dispersive bulk dielectric function which slowly fade at the interface. The response of the medium is described by the induced charge density, which is self-consistently calculated. This formalism is applied to the study of the energy loss spectrum (EELS) experienced by a fast electron passing by a metal-vacuum interface. In the case of a sharp interface analytical expressions for the loss probability, fully equivalent to that of the Specular Reflection Model (SRM), are found. In an Al interface the effects of the electron density spill-out (modeled according to Lang-Kohn density) on both the longitudinal (EELS) and transverse components of the momentum transfer are studied. The influence of the interface profile on the surface plasmon dispersion in EELS is also discussed, showing that in agreement with previous theoretical and experimental works the dispersion of surface plasmon turns out to be much weaker than the one calculated in the SRM. A possible extension of the theory to study interfaces between transition metals and insulators is also discussed.