Plasmonic Lattice Resonances Research Articles

Fourier modal method for the description of nanoparticle lattices in the dipole approximation

Rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) is a very effective tool for the studying optical properties of multilayered vertically invariant periodic structures. However, it fails to deal with arrays of small particles because of high gradients in a local field. In this thesis, we implement discrete dipole approximation (DDA) for the construction of scattering matrices of arrays of resonant nanoparticles. This strongly speeds up the calculations and therefore provides an opportunity for thorough consideration of various layered structures with small periodic inclusions in terms of the RCWA. We study in detail three main stages of the method: calculation of polarizability tensor of a single nanoparticle, effective polarizability of this particle in a lattice and corresponding scattering matrix of the layer for further integration in the conventional RCWA approach. We demonstrate the performance of the proposed method by considering plasmonic lattices embedded in a homogeneous ambiance and placed inside and onto optical waveguides and compare our results with experimental papers. Such phenomena as localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) and lattice plasmon resonances (LPRs) are observed as well as their hybridization with photonic guided modes. High accuracy and fast convergence of our approach are shown by a comparison with other computational approaches. Typical limits of applicability of our approximate method are determined by an exploration of the dependence of its error on the parameters of the structure.

Tunable Lattice Plasmon Resonances in 1D Nanogratings

Lattice plasmon resonances or surface lattice resonances (SLRs) supported in two-dimensional (2D) metal nanoparticle arrays have extremely narrow line widths and highly localized electric field enhancements, which are key properties for realizing plasmon lasers and hybrid solid-state lighting devices. This paper reports lattice plasmons in one-dimensional (1D) metal nanogratings with broadband tunability (over 400 nm) far beyond their 2D counterparts at visible wavelengths. The large wavelength tunabilities of 1D or line-SLRs are from the lower symmetry of the structures compared to 2D arrays based on nanoparticles. We demonstrate that line-SLRs exhibit a Fano-like character based on coupling between an out-of-plane plasmon excitation and 1D Bragg diffraction modes. We show how the height and periodicity of the grating determine the spectral properties of the line-SLRs. By adjusting the line height, we achieved high-quality lattice resonances, even in index-mismatched environments.

Design and applications of lattice plasmon resonances

With their unique optical properties associated with the excitation of surface plasmons, metal nanoparticles (NPs) have been used in optical sensors and devices. The organization of these NPs into arrays can induce coupling effects to engineer new optical responses. In particular, lattice plasmon resonances (LPRs), which arise from coherent interactions and coupling among NPs in periodic arrays, have shown great promise for realizing narrow linewidths, angle-dependent dispersions, and high wavelength tunability of optical spectra. By engineering the materials, shapes, sizes, and spatial arrangements of NPs within arrays, one can tune the LPR-based spectral responses and electromagnetic field distributions to deliver a multitude of improvements, including a high figure-of-merit, superior light–matter interaction, and multiband operation. In this review, we discuss recent progress in designing and applying new metal nanostructures for LPR-based applications. We conclude this review with our perspective on the future opportunities and challenges of LPR-based devices.

Stretchable Nanolasing from Hybrid Quadrupole Plasmons.

This paper reports a robust and stretchable nanolaser platform that can preserve its high mode quality by exploiting hybrid quadrupole plasmons as an optical feedback mechanism. Increasing the size of metal nanoparticles in an array can introduce ultrasharp lattice plasmon resonances with out-of-plane charge oscillations that are tolerant to lateral strain. By patterning these nanoparticles onto an elastomeric slab surrounded by liquid gain, we realized reversible, tunable nanolasing with high strain sensitivity and no hysteresis. Our semiquantum modeling demonstrates that lasing build-up occurs at the hybrid quadrupole electromagnetic hot spots, which provides a route toward mechanical modulation of light-matter interactions on the nanoscale.

Subradiant Dipolar Interactions in Plasmonic Nanoring Resonator Array for Integrated Label-Free Biosensing.

With the development of advanced nanofabrication technologies over the past decade, plasmonic nanostructures have attracted wide attention for their potential in label-free biosensing applications. However, the sensing performance of nanostructured plasmonic sensors is primarily limited by the broad-line-width features with low peak-to-dip signal ratio in the extinction spectra that result from strong radiative damping. Here, we propose and systematically investigate the in-plane and out-of-plane dipolar interactions in an array of plasmonic nanoring resonators that are from the spatial combination of classic nanohole and nanodisk structures. Originating from the strong coupling of the dipolar modes from parent nanohole and nanodisk structures, the subradiant lattice plasmon resonance in the nanoring resonator array exhibits narrow-line width spectral features with high peak-to-dip signal ratio and strong near-field electromagnetic enhancement, making it an ideal platform for high-sensitivity chemical and biomedical sensing. We experimentally demonstrate that the plasmonic nanoring resonator array can be used for high-sensitivity refractive index sensing and real-time monitoring of biomolecular specific binding interactions at nanomolar concentration. Moreover, due to its simple normal incident illumination scheme and polarization independent optical response, we further transfer the plasmonic nanoring resonator array onto the optical fiber tip to demonstrate an integrated and miniaturized platform for label-free remote biosensing, which implies that the plasmonic nanoring resonator array may be a potential candidate for developing high performance and highly integrated photonic biosensing systems.

Plasmon resonances in a two-dimensional lattice of metal particles in a dielectric layer: Structural and polarization properties

The results of experimental and theoretical investigation of planar two-dimensional (2D) samples of plasmon structures are presented. The samples represent a 2D lattice of gold nanoparticles embedded in a thin dielectric layer and are studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and optical methods. Absorption bands associated with the excitation of various surface plasmon resonances (SPR) are interpreted. It is found that the choice of the mutual orientation of the polarization plane and the edge of the unit cell of the 2D lattice determines the spectral position of the lattice surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) related to the lattice period. It is shown that the interaction of p- and s-polarized light with a 2D lattice of nanoparticles is described by the dipole–dipole interaction between nanoparticles embedded in a medium with effective permittivity. Analysis of the spectra of ellipsometric parameters allows one to determine the amplitude and phase anisotropy of transmission, which is a consequence of the imperfection of the 2D lattice of samples.

Magnetization-induced effects in second harmonic generation under the lattice plasmon resonance excitation.

We present an experimental study of optical second harmonic generation (SHG) from arrays of nanostructures exhibiting collective plasmon resonances in the visible spectral range. Gold nanoparticles with the lateral diameter of 100 nm are packed in a square lattice with the period of 400 nm and are covered by a 90 nm thick iron garnet layer. We show an enhancement of SHG in the spectral vicinity of the lattice surface plasmon resonance. It is demonstrated that application of the external DC magnetic field results in a spectral shift of the SHG maximum up to 5 nm, accompanied by a pronounced phase modulation of the second harmonic wave. This spectral shift significantly prevails over the analogous linear magneto-optical effect and is explained by the interference of resonant and nonresonant SHG contributions of various nature.

Turning on plasmonic lattice modes in metallic nanoantenna arrays via silicon thin films.

We study control of optical coupling of plasmon resonances in metallic nanoantenna arrays using ultrathin layers of silicon. This technique allows one to establish and tune plasmonic lattice modes of such arrays, demonstrating a controlled transformation from the localized surface plasmon resonances of individual nanoantennas to their optimized collective lattice modes. Depending on the polarization and incident angle of light, our results support two different types of the silicon-induced plasmonic lattice resonances. For s-polarization these resonances follow the Rayleigh anomaly, while for p-polarization an increase in the incident angle makes the lattice resonances significantly narrower and slightly blueshifted.

Substrate-Independent Lattice Plasmon Modes for High-Performance On-Chip Plasmonic Sensors

We systematically study the lattice plasmon resonance structures, which are known as core/shell SiO2/Au nanocylinder arrays (NCAs), for high-performance, on-chip plasmonic sensors using the substrate-independent lattice plasmon modes (LPMs). Our finite-difference time-domain simulations reveal that new modes of localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) show up when the height-diameter aspect ratio of the NCAs is increased. The height-induced LSPRs couple with the superstrate diffraction orders to generate the substrate-independent LPMs. Moreover, we show that the high wavelength sensitivity and the narrow linewidth of the substrate-independent LPMs lead to the plasmonic sensors with high figure of merit (FOM) and high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). In addition, the plasmonic sensors are robust in asymmetric environments for a wide range of working wavelengths. Our further study of both far- and near-field electromagnetic distribution in the NCAs confirms the height-enabled tunability of the plasmonic “hot spots” at the sub-nanoparticle resolution and the large field enhancement in the substrate-independent LPMs, which are responsible for the high FOM and SNR of the plasmonic sensors.

Strong Exciton-Plasmon Coupling in MoS2 Coupled with Plasmonic Lattice.

We demonstrate strong exciton-plasmon coupling in silver nanodisk arrays integrated with monolayer MoS2 via angle-resolved reflectance microscopy spectra of the coupled system. Strong exciton-plasmon coupling is observed with the exciton-plasmon coupling strength up to 58 meV at 77 K, which also survives at room temperature. The strong coupling involves three types of resonances: MoS2 excitons, localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) of individual silver nanodisks and plasmonic lattice resonances of the nanodisk array. We show that the exciton-plasmon coupling strength, polariton composition, and dispersion can be effectively engineered by tuning the geometry of the plasmonic lattice, which makes the system promising for realizing novel two-dimensional plasmonic polaritonic devices.

Superlattice Plasmons in Hierarchical Au Nanoparticle Arrays

Periodic metal nanoparticle (NP) arrays support narrow lattice plasmon resonances that can be tuned by changing the localized surface plasmons of the individual NPs in the array, NP periodicity, and dielectric environment. In this paper, we report superlattice plasmons that can be supported by hierarchical Au NP arrays, where finite arrays of NPs (patches) are organized into arrays with larger periodicities. We show that superlattice plasmons can be described by the coupling of single-patch lattice plasmons and Bragg modes defined by the patch periodicity. Superlattice plasmon resonances are often significantly narrower than that of single-patch lattice plasmon resonances and exhibit stronger local peak fields. By varying the periodicity of the patches, we demonstrated that the number and spectral location of superlattice plasmon resonances can be tailored in hierarchical Au NP arrays. These narrow superlattice plasmon resonances open prospects in ultrasensitive sensing and energy transfer and plasmon amp...

Magneto-optical response of two-dimensional magnetic plasmon structures based on gold nanodisks embedded in a ferrite garnet layer

Resonance optical effects in ordered two-dimensional arrays of gold nanodisks embedded in an insulating magnetic film are investigated. The angle-resolved transmission spectra exhibit features related to the excitation of local surface plasmons and lattice plasmon polaritons in the gold nanoparticles and waveguide modes in the magnetic insulator layer. Resonance enhancement of the linear magneto-optical intensity effect in transmission configuration is found in the vicinity of the lattice plasmon resonance and the waveguide mode in the structures under study.

Dislocated Double-Layered Metal Gratings: Refractive Index Sensors with High Figure of Merit

We experimentally demonstrate an enhanced refractive index sensing using a dislocated double-layered metal grating (DDMG). The DDMG is capable of supporting a novel guided mode caused by the interaction between localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) from the individual gold stripes and Wood’s anomaly in the dielectric grating layer between two gold gratings. We show that this guided mode can only be induced and mediated by the coupling of lattice plasmon resonances sustained by upper and lower gold grating through introducing a lateral displacement between the two gold gratings. The DDMG provides an experimental figure of merit (FOM) value up to 36 under normal incidence, which is superior to those of most of nanoplasmonic sensors relying on Fano resonances. Additionally, the DDMGs can be fabricated by a very simple and cost-effective method via a combination of two-beam interference lithography and metal deposition. Accompanied with high FOM and simple detection scheme, this sensor will be found in a wide range of applications in biomedical sensing.

Lasing action in periodic arrays of nanoparticles

We study the effect of nanoparticle (NP) array spacing on plasmon-enhanced lasing using a computational model that combines classical electrodynamics for arrays of gold NPs interacting with a four-level model of the laser dye photophysics. Parameters of the model are related to a laser system that was recently demonstrated experimentally, but in this work we consider arrays that tune away from the lattice plasmon resonance condition. We show that approximate matching of the lattice plasmon with the red branch of the dye emission spectrum leads to lower laser thresholds and higher intensities than can be achieved with plasmon excitation that does not satisfy the Bragg condition, even for anisotropic NPs. Surprisingly, there is a range of lattice spacings where both purely photonic enhancement of the bulk dye simulated emission and mixed photonic/plasmonic enhancement of emission by dye molecules within 50 nm of the NPs have comparable laser thresholds and intensities above threshold. We also show there is a tradeoff between sharpness of the lattice plasmon and overlap of the lattice mode with the dye emission maximum such that the highest intensity modes are not necessarily those with the highest plasmon enhancement.

Orthogonal and parallel lattice plasmon resonance in core-shell SiO(2)/Au nanocylinder arrays.

Height induced coupling behavior between the plasmonic modes and diffraction orders were studied in the core-shell SiO(2)/Au nanocylinder arrays (NCAs) using finite difference time domain (FDTD) simulations. New lattice plasmon modes (LPMs) are observed in the structures with high aspect ratio. Specifically, parallel coupling between the plasmonic modes and diffraction orders is obtained here, which shows different coupling behavior from orthogonal LPMs. Electromagnetic (EM) field distributions indicate that horizontal propagation of the magnetic or electric field component is responsible for the generation of these orthogonal and parallel LPMs, respectively. Radiative loss could be effectively suppressed when the height increases. This is important for the applications of fluorescence enhancement and nano laser. Further studies confirm that the LPMs associated with the superstrate diffraction orders could be well maintained even when the Au coating is imperfect. The interference from the substrate associated LPMs could be eliminated by cutting off the corresponding diffraction waves by inducing a Si(3)N(4) substrate. This study of coupling behavior in the core-shell NCAs enables a novel route to design and optimize the LPMs for applications of bio-sensing and nano laser.

Engineering of parallel plasmonic-photonic interactions for on-chip refractive index sensors.

Ultra-narrow linewidth in the extinction spectrum of noble metal nanoparticle arrays induced by the lattice plasmon resonances (LPRs) is of great significance for applications in plasmonic lasers and plasmonic sensors. However, the challenge of sustaining LPRs in an asymmetric environment greatly restricts their practical applications, especially for high-performance on-chip plasmonic sensors. Herein, we fully study the parallel plasmonic-photonic interactions in both the Au nanodisk arrays (NDAs) and the core/shell SiO2/Au nanocylinder arrays (NCAs). Different from the dipolar interactions in the conventionally studied orthogonal coupling, the horizontal propagating electric field introduces the out-of-plane "hot spots" and results in electric field delocalization. Through controlling the aspect ratio to manipulate the "hot spot" distributions of the localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) in the NCAs, we demonstrate a high-performance refractive index sensor with a wide dynamic range of refractive indexes ranging from 1.0 to 1.5. Both high figure of merit (FOM) and high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) can be maintained under these detectable refractive indices. Furthermore, the electromagnetic field distributions confirm that the high FOM in the wide dynamic range is attributed to the parallel coupling between the superstrate diffraction orders and the height-induced LSPR modes. Our study on the near-field "hot-spot" engineering and far-field parallel coupling paves the way towards improved understanding of the parallel LPRs and the design of high-performance on-chip refractive index sensors.

Uniaxial epsilon-near-zero metamaterials: from superlensing to double refraction

We investigated optical properties of nanostructured metal-dielectric multilayered lattices under the conditions of epsilon-near-zero (ENZ), a concept derived from the effective-medium approach (EMA). We theoretically found that the periodic array of metallic nanolayers may exhibit either superlensing driven by broadband canalization from point emitters or single-polarization double refraction, and conventional positive as well as negative, even at subwavelength regimes. For the latter case, we formulated a modified EMA, and subsequently a generalized refraction law, that describes both refractive behaviors concurrently. The modal coupling of plasmonic lattice resonances, and nonlocality induced by partial screening across the nanolayer length, are responsible for these distinct effects. Numerical simulations show that deep-subwavelength lensing along the optical axis of Ag-GaAs metamaterial is clearly enhanced at optical wavelengths. On the other hand, transverse-magnetic-polarized radiation that is obliquely incident on the ENZ periodic nanostructures with the same materials in the infrared (around 1.55 μm ) undergoes double refraction neighboring 50/50 beamsplitting.

Near-field resonance at far-field-induced transparency in diffractive arrays of plasmonic nanorods

We numerically demonstrate that a periodic array of metallic nanorods sustains a maximum near-field enhancement and a far field (FF)-induced transparency at the same energy and in-plane momentum. The coupling of bright and dark plasmonic lattice resonances, and electromagnetic retardation along the nanorod length, are responsible for this effect. A standing wave with a quadrupolar field distribution is formed, giving rise to a collective suppression of FF scattering and simultaneously enhanced local fields.

Delocalized Lattice Plasmon Resonances Show Dispersive Quality Factors.

This Letter describes how out-of-plane lattice plasmon (OLP) resonances in 2D Au nanoparticle (NP) arrays show dispersive quality factors. These quality factors can be tailored simply by controlling NP height. Numerical calculations of near-field optical properties and band diagrams were performed to understand the measured dispersion effects of the OLPs. The results revealed that delocalized OLPs are a type of surface Bloch mode composed of many Bloch harmonics. As the OLP dispersion evolves from a stationary state to a propagating state, the nonradiative loss decreases because of weak local field confinement, whereas the radiative loss increases because of strong coupling to the leaky zero-order harmonic.

Quantum rod emission coupled to plasmonic lattice resonances: A collective directional source of polarized light

We demonstrate that an array of optical antennas may render a thin layer of randomly oriented semiconductor nanocrystals into an enhanced and highly directional source of polarized light. The array sustains collective plasmonic lattice resonances which are in spectral overlap with the emission of the nanocrystals over narrow angular regions. Consequently, different photon energies of visible light are enhanced and beamed into definite directions.