Nanodisk Arrays Research Articles

Plasmonic coupling effect of annealed gold nanoarrays

Periodic metal nanodisc arrays have the potential to exhibit regularly spaced large local field enhancements, especially when high-Q collective plasmonic grating resonances can be obtained. Here we demonstrate how Laser interference lithography (LIL) as a maskless and high throughput technique can be used to fabricate these on square centimeter areas. The drawback of LIL is the rather fixed ratio of the size of the individual nanostructure (d) to the period of the array (p) of about d/p ∼ 0.5 for the setup used in the current article, thereby, limiting its ability to create resonances with ultra-high quality factors (Q-factors). To improve the Q-factor of the resonances of the arrays, we study the effect of thermal annealing nanodisk arrays fabricated by LIL and a lift off process. The nanodisk arrays with periods of 400 nm and 500 nm exhibited a plasmonic resonance, which was caused by the interaction of the single disk resonance and a (1 0) grating resonance. Annealing for a short duration lowered the d/p ratio from 0.5 to 0.4, and led to smoothening of the disk surfaces and growth of gold grains, resulting in lower ohmic and radiative losses and doubling of the Q-factor of the resonances. Finite element method (FEM) simulations were used to monitor this improvement in material parameters. Annealing for a longer duration disintegrated the nanodisk into several smaller particles while maintaining the overall periodicity of the array. While the plasmonic resonances of the experimentally investigated fragmented disks were basically destroyed, simulation predict that for larger periods fragmented nanodisk arrays (keeping the d/p ∼ 0.4) can exhibit extremely strong and sharp resonances whose Q-factor increases more than 58.4 times compared to the unfragmented discs. In addition, simulations show a massive enhancement of the local electric field promising immense potential for surface enhanced Raman sensing.

Plasmonic Coupling for High‐Sensitivity Detection of Low Molecular Weight Molecules

This article presents a novel plasmonic sensing platform designed for the detection of low molecular weight molecules, offering significant advancements in diagnostic applications. The platform features a periodic array of gold nanodisks on a 20 nm thin silica layer, supported by a 100 nm thick gold substrate. By leveraging the coupling between localized and propagating surface plasmon resonances, this design significantly enhances the sensitivity and specificity of molecular detection. Finite element method simulations are conducted to characterize the optical properties and reflectance response of the nanodisks array in the visible to near‐infrared range. Ellipsometric analysis is performed to measure the reflectance of the sample at various angles. Additionally, scanning near‐field optical microscopy in reflectance mode validates the design by revealing well‐defined plasmonic hot spots and interference patterns consistent with the simulated results. The findings demonstrate the platform's effectiveness in amplifying optical signals, achieving a limit of detection of 50 μM for molecules with a molecular weight of less than 1 KDa. This high sensitivity and specificity highlight the potential of the proposed plasmonic platform to advance the development of highly sensitive sensors for low molecular weight molecules, making it a valuable tool for diagnostics and precise molecular detection.

Increasing the electric field amplification in the metal-insulator-metal structure with a grating hybrid of bowtie nanotriangle and cylindrical nanodisc

In this paper, the strong electromagnetic coupling between an integrated grating of an array of periodic gold nanodiscs and an array of bowtie nanotriangles placed on layers of a dielectric and a metal has been investigated. The upper layer is periodically created by removing each nanodisk in the array of nanodisks and replacing it with bowtie nanotriangles. The structure for near field radiation with linear polarization at 800nm wavelength is optimized so that it has the highest amount of amplification in the gap space between the tips of the nanotriangle with a minimum value of 188 times and a maximum of 320 times. The simulation results confirm that the huge field enhancement obtained is due to the strong coupling between the LSPR formed in the grating of bowties nano triangle and nanodiscs and the SPPs formed in the metal film. The amount of amplification compared to the array of only nanodiscs (about 32 times) or only bowtie nano triangles (about 120 times) is not only higher, but also the anti-crossing behavior is observed. The high amplification obtained at the mentioned wavelength can be used for laser oscillators with a central wavelength of 800nm, such as titanium sapphire, etc., which has many applications in near-field physics, SERS, and ultrafast lasers.

A Fiber optics based surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy sensor for chemical and biological sensing

This paper investigates an innovative surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) sensor developed on a side-polished multimode optical fiber core. The optical fiber was integrated into specifically designed 3-dimensional printed mold, where manual polishing of the fiber took place. Microsphere Photolithography (MPL) techniques was employed to pattern periodic nanoantenna arrays on the polished surface, incorporating multiple disk diameters at a fixed periodicity. Subsequent gold deposition/lift-off were carried out to transfer the pattern from the photoresist to the fiber core, resulting in highly periodic hexagonal closed pack (HCP) arrays of nanodisks. These arrays can significantly enhance the SERS signal intensity compared to that of the fiber tip. The sensor's performance was demonstrated using various concentrations of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) dye ranging from 10−5 to 10−9 M as a function of disk diameter and sensing surface area. The resulting spectra revealed characteristic peak positions that aligned well with the fingerprint Raman spectra of R6G. The results demonstrates that the sensitivity is 10−9 M for the sensor with an 800 nm disk diameter.

Comparative Analysis of Two Different MIM Configurations of a Plasmonic Nanoantenna

AbstractTwo plasmonic nanoantenna configurations—nanodisk and nanostrip arrays—in a metal–insulator-metal (MIM) setup were proposed, optimized, and compared by simulating their optical properties in three-dimensional models using COMSOL Multiphysics software. The optical responses, including electric field enhancement, absorption, reflection, and transmission spectra, were systematically investigated. Optimized geometrical parameters led to a significant enhancement of the electric field within the gap layers and almost perfect light absorptance for both structures. The results showed that the enhancement of the electric field depends on the polarization of the incident light. For both polarizations, the periodic circular nanodisk array showed a stronger field enhancement with an electric field enhancement factor of 6.6 × 106 and TE polarization, and a larger absorptance of 98% at its dipole resonance wavelength, indicating the fundamental plasmonic mode. In addition, weaker resonant modes were observed in the absorptance and reflectance spectra of both nanostructures, with the nanostrips exhibiting sharper and stronger higher-order modes, making them suitable for applications requiring precise wavelength selectivity and narrow-band responses. Despite their different geometric shapes, both structures exhibited similar optimized metal film thickness and nanoparticle height, comparable modes in number and position, and identical optimized light incidence angles. Furthermore, increasing the dielectric gap layer thickness and optimizing it to a specific value revealed its ability to measure the refractive index, making it a promising candidate for sensing applications.

Diffraction of harmonic generation in metasurfaces of quasi-BICs induced by geometrical perturbations

We report the diffraction behavior of harmonic generation in metasurfaces of quasi-bound states in the continuum (BICs) induced by geometrical perturbations. Conventionally, the geometrical perturbation can transform the symmetry-protected BICs into quasi-BICs in metasurfaces for many important applications. Such geometrical perturbations sometimes lead to the doubled period of metasurfaces, and then dramatically affect the diffraction of light, especially the harmonic generation light of shorter wavelengths. Here, we investigate the efficiency and diffraction angles of different orders of second and third harmonic generation in two typical metasurfaces of quasi-BICs induced by geometrical perturbation, i.e., compound grating waveguide nanostructures and zig-zag nanodisk arrays. The results are important to understand the diffraction behavior of harmonic generation in the period doubled or tripled nanostructures due to geometry perturbations, and to realize the efficient multi-channel nonlinear sources.

All-Optical Control of Vortex Lasing in Silicon-Organic Lattices.

This paper reports a silicon-organic hybrid lattice that can lase with vortex emission and allow all-optical control. We combine an array of amorphous silicon nanodisks with gain from dye molecules in organic solvents to generate vortex lasing from bound states in the continuum under pulsed optical pumping. Irradiating the device with an additional continuous wave green laser beam can cause optical heating in silicon and lead to negative change in the refractive index of the organic solvents; meanwhile, the green laser beam can provide additional gain. Dynamic tuning of the lasing wavelength is achieved by varying the intensity of the controlling beam. Furthermore, the vortex beam lasing can be switched to single-lobed beam lasing by moving the controlling spot to break the in-plane symmetry within the pumping spot. Our findings could shed new light on active silicon topological devices.

Metasurface of Strongly Coupled Excitons and Nanoplasmonic Arrays.

Metasurfaces allow light to be manipulated at the nanoscale. Integrating metasurfaces with transition metal dichalcogenide monolayers provides additional functionality to ultrathin optics, including tunable optical properties with enhanced light-matter interactions. In this work, we demonstrate the realization of a polaritonic metasurface utilizing the sizable light-matter coupling of excitons in monolayer WSe2 and the collective lattice resonances of nanoplasmonic gold arrays. We developed a novel fabrication method to integrate gold nanodisk arrays in hexagonal boron nitride and thus simultaneously ensure spectrally narrow exciton transitions and their immediate proximity to the near-field of array surface lattice resonances. In the regime of strong light-matter coupling, the resulting van der Waals metasurface exhibits all key characteristics of lattice polaritons, with a directional and linearly polarized far-field emission profile dictated by the underlying nanoplasmonic lattice. Our work can be straightforwardly adapted to other lattice geometries, establishing structured van der Waals metasurfaces as means to engineer polaritonic lattices.

Substrate-induced hybridization of plasmon modes in the composite nanostructure of nanodisk array/thin film for spectrum modulation

Abstract Hybridization coupling among plasmon modes is an effective approach to manipulate near-field properties thus optical spectral shapes of plasmonic nanostructures. Generally, mode hybridization coupling is achieved by modifying the topography and dimensions of nanostructures themselves, with few concerns about substrate-induced manipulation. Herein, we propose a composite nanostructure consisting of a gold (Au) nanodisk array and a thin Au film supported by a dielectric substrate. In this configuration, both the refractive index of the dielectric substrate and thin gold film’s thickness mediate the interaction of plasmon modes supported by upper and lower interfaces of the composite nanostructure, resulting in two hybridized plasmon modes. We systematically investigate the relationship between optical fields at the top surface of plasmon modes before and after the hybridization coupling. Specifically, the near-field amplitude at the top surface of the unhybridized modes is stronger than that of individual hybridized mode, and lower than the near-field summation of these two hybridized modes. This work not only provides a straightforward strategy for generating two plasmon modes in a nanostructure but also elucidates the variation of the optical field during the hybridization process, which is of crucial significance for applications, such as upconversion enhancement and multi-resonance sensing.

Flexible plasmonic display featuring differentiated and localized control over transmission and reflection

Structural colors using metal materials, plasmonic color generation, can confine optical excitation beyond the diffraction limit owing to nanoscale metals with high efficiency in light absorption and scattering. They have several advantages over conventional display technology, including superior resolution and long-term preservation. However, most research on plasmonic color generation has been conducted for the development of static color generation, and dynamic tuning remains a challenging issue. To develop dynamic plasmonic colors, electrochemical, liquid crystal, and electromechanical methods have been proposed; however, there have been limitations in repeatability, flexibility, and scale-up processes. To address these problems, this work proposes a flexible dynamic plasmonic display using dielectric elastomer actuators (DEAs) to isotropically control the interdistance between the metal nanostructures, which can show dynamic coloration without polarization distortion. To replace the expensive and small-scale manufacturing approach, shadow masking and transfer technique with the anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane was applied to realize large-scale and uniformly distributed Au nanodisc array. The differentiated and localized color change in the transmission and reflection modes, such as Janus's face, is realized by proper design of Au nanodisc array on the patterned transparent compliant electrodes formed by silver nanowires and PEDOT:PSS composites. Apparent and locally active color changes appeared in the transmission mode, but almost no color changes were observed in the reflection model by DEA actuation. The proposed system has the potential to activate color filters, cryptographic characters, and next generation display technologies.

Soft and hard trimming of imprint resist masks to fabricate silicon nanodisk arrays with different edge roughness

Soft and hard trimming of imprint resist masks to fabricate silicon nanodisk arrays with different edge roughness

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.

Ultra-narrow dual-band perfect absorber based on double-slotted silicon nanodisk arrays

Due to its unique advantage of optical properties, nanophotonic metamaterials have gained extensive applications in perfect absorbers. However, achieving both dual-band and ultra-narrow linewidth in absorbers simultaneously remains a challenge for typical metal-dielectric based metamaterials. In this work, a dual-band ultra-narrow perfect absorber consisting of a double slotted silicon nanodisk array that located on a silver film with a silica spacer layer is proposed theoretically. By combining the hybrid mode excited by the coupling of diffraction wave mode and magnetic dipole mode with the anapole–anapole interaction, two absorption peaks can be induced in the near-infrared regime, achieving nearly perfect absorbance of 99.31% and 99.61%, with ultra-narrow linewidths of 1.92 nm and 1.25 nm respectively. In addition, the dual-band absorption characteristics can be regulated by changing the structural parameters of the as-proposed metamaterials. The as-designed metamaterials can be employed as efficient two-channel refractive index sensors, with sensitivity and figure of merit (FOM) of 288 nm RIU−1 and 150 RIU−1 for the first band, and sensitivity and FOM of up to 204 nm RIU−1 and 163.2 RIU−1 for the second band. This work not only opens up a new design idea for the realization of dual-band perfect absorber synchronously with ultra-narrow linewidth, but also provides potential attractive candidates for developing dual-frequency channel sensors.

Mechanism of formation and evolution of bound states in the continuum of split-hole all-dielectric metasurface under asymmetric displacement perturbation

Bound states in the continuum (BICs) with ultra-high Q properties have attracted much attention for their perfect localization in the continuous spectral range coexisting with extended waves. In this study, breaking the traditional excitation form of structure breakage or excitation field asymmetry, a monolithic silicon nanodisk array with relative displacement generated by the complete splitting of square nanopores is proposed based on the unique electromagnetic properties of all-dielectric metamaterials. During the introduction of perturbations by asymmetric displacements of splitting holes, it is shown by numerical simulations that two BICs at different wavelengths can be realized. Combined with eigenmodes of group theory, the symmetric matching relationship between the symmetry-protected BICs and the free-space radiation during the evolution process is analytically demonstrated, and the formation mechanism and the evolution law of the BICs excited by this metasurface are deeply investigated. meanwhile, it also provides a theoretical basis for the polarization dependence of quasi-BICs excitation and the ultra-high Q factor expression of BICs. Furthermore, near-field distribution and multipole decomposition show that the field distribution and surface currents support the excitation of BIC-driven toroidal dipole and magnetic quadrupole dual modes. This study not only provides an effective reference for the stability of high-Q resonance wavelengths, but also solves the problem of the lack of universality in analyzing the resonance mechanism based on resonance phenomena, and provides solid theoretical support for the study of displacement-mediated BICs resonance excitation and evolution.

InSb all-dielectric metasurface for ultrahigh efficient Si-based mid-infrared detection.

Mid-infrared (MIR) Si-based optoelectronics has wide potential applications, and its design requires simultaneous consideration of device performance optimization and the feasibility of heterogeneous integration. The emerging interest in all-dielectric metasurfaces for optoelectronic applications stems from their exceptional ability to manipulate light. In this Letter, we present our research on an InSb all-dielectric metasurface designed to achieve ultrahigh absorptivity within the 5-5.5 µm wavelength range. By integrating an InSb nanodisk array layer on a Si platform using wafer bonding and heteroepitaxial growth, we demonstrate three kinds of metasurface with high absorptivity of 98.36%, 99.28%, and 99.18%. The enhanced absorption is mainly contributed by the Kerker effect and the anapole state and the peak, with the added flexibility of tuning both the peak and bandwidth of absorption by altering the metasurface parameters. Our findings provide an alternative scheme to develop high-performance detectors and absorbers for MIR silicon photonics.

Application of circuit model for gap-plasmon nanodisk resonators

The design of plasmonic metasurfaces is often based on solving the Maxwell electromagnetic equations, which can be a time-consuming and expensive process considering many geometrical parameters that can limit design flexibility. To speed up the design flow, a model based on the classical transmission line theory is presented. The proposed equivalent circuit model can predict the plasmon resonance wavelength based on various geometrical parameters including dielectric thickness and disk diameter. In addition, unlike other reported circuit models, the developed model considers the nanostructure array pitch size, which is crucial in metasurface design. Comparison between the results obtained from circuit model and full wavelength simulation showed that the circuit parameters accurately determine the response of the structure. Finally, as a metasurface design demonstration, we utilized our model to simulate aluminum-based gap-plasmon nanodisk arrays for optimizing their optical response to maximize structural color saturation.

Fabry–Pérot cavities critically coupled to metal nanodisk arrays for multi-narrowband perfect absorption

Fabry–Pérot cavities critically coupled to metal nanodisk arrays for multi-narrowband perfect absorption

Photoluminescence Enhancement and Carrier Dynamics of Charged Biexciton in Monolayer WS2 Coupled with Plasmonic Nanocavity

Monolayer two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD)-based materials have become one of the ideal platforms for the study of multibody interactions due to their rich excitonic complexes. The coupling between optical nanocavity and material has become an important means for manipulating the optical properties of materials, but there are few studies on the coupling of nanocavities and the multi-body effect in materials. In this study, we investigate the optical properties of silver nanodisk (Ag ND) arrays covering a monolayer WS2. In the experimental sample, we observed a ~114.3-fold photoluminescence enhancement of charged biexciton in the heterostructure region, as compared to the monolayer WS2 region, a value which is much higher than those for exciton (~2.2-fold) and trion (~16.4-fold), a finding which is attributed to the Fano resonant coupling between monolayer WS2 and the Ag ND. By means of time-resolved spectroscopy, we studied the carrier dynamics in the hybrid system. Our findings reveal that resonant coupling promotes the formation and radiation recombination processes of the charged biexciton, significantly reducing the radiative recombination lifetime by ~15-fold, which is much higher than the measurement in exciton (~2-fold). Our results provide an opportunity to understand the multibody physics of coupling with nanocavities, which could facilitate the application of multi-body excitons in the fields of light-emitting devices and lasers, etc.

Tuning the plasmonic response of periodic gold nanodisk arrays for urea sensing

Tuning the plasmonic response of periodic gold nanodisk arrays for urea sensing

Period induced reflectance tuning in transparent gold metasurfaces

Gold (Au) nanodisk arrays are modeled and fabricated for tunable near infrared reflectance with high visible transmittance. Simulations are performed in the visible and near infrared regimes between 400 and 2000 nm with varying period of nanostructures. A progressive increase in period of up to three times the diameter of the nanodisks on polymer and quartz substrates is presented. As a result, an increase in visible transmittance with a decrease in near infrared reflectance peak intensity is observed. Modeling results exhibit a high average visible transmittance of 91.5% (400–700 nm) and average reflectance of 62.9% (750–2000 nm) with diameter (D) variations from D=120 nm to D=500 nm with a period (P) equal to twice the diameter, P=2D for a polymer substrate. Electric field intensities exhibit an increase with a decrease in the period between individual nanostructures for constant unit cell dimensions. Alongside simulations, electron beam lithography and evaporation processes are utilized for the patterning and fabrication. Optical characterizations including scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) of selected metasurfaces on quartz are performed. For a specific period and diameter, the fabricated metasurfaces exhibit near infrared reflectance having a good agreement with the simulated results about plasmonic wavelengths. Such metasurfaces offer potential to be deployed for applications that require selective reflectance intensities in the near infrared range with high visible transmittance, such as controlled environment agriculture (CEA) or multi spectral near infrared sensing. With tunability over a broadband (750–2500 nm), this simple and fabrication-friendly model may be used as a theoretical guide in quantifying specific design parameters with varying light intensity configurations.