Surface plasmon propagation in microscale metal stripes

Lamprecht, Bernhard; Krenn, Joachim R.; Schider, Gerburg; Ditlbacher, Harald; Salerno, Marco; Félidj, Nordin; Leitner, A.; Aussenegg, F. R.; Weeber, Jean Claude

doi:10.1063/1.1380236

Cited by 341 publications

(247 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…This versatile procedure can generate arrays of holes with arbitrary spacings (a 0 ) and film thicknesses (t) controlled to 1 nm. Because the propagation length of SPPs (δ SP ) on a flat gold surface is less than 10 µm under excitation of 633-nm light, 20 nanoholes separated by distances larger than δ SP , such as a 0 ) 25 µm in Figure 1a, can be considered as isolated holes. Near-field optical images of isolated holes (diameter d ) 250 nm) in gold films of two different thicknesses (t ) 50 and 180 nm) were acquired in collection mode through an Al-coated pulled optical fiber probe ( Figure 1b,c).…”

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confidence: 99%

Direct Evidence for Surface Plasmon-Mediated Enhanced Light Transmission through Metallic Nanohole Arrays

2006

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This paper provides direct evidence for the role of surface plasmons in the enhanced optical transmission of light through metallic nanoscale hole arrays. Near-field optical images directly confirmed the presence of surface plasmons on gold nanohole arrays with interhole spacings larger than the surface plasmon wavelength. A simple interference model provides an intuitive explanation of the two types of fringe wavelengths observed in the near-field optical images. Far-field spectroscopy revealed a surface plasmon band that contributed a factor >8 to the transmission enhancement. Furthermore, silicon nanohole arrays did not exhibit any features in the near-field, which demonstrates that metallic materials are necessary for enhanced light transmission through nanohole arrays.Ground-breaking discoveries in diverse fields such as photonics, 1-5 chemistry, 6,7 and biophysics 8,9 have relied on surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) to confine and enhance light in the optical near-field. Interest in the fundamental science of SPPs was revived in part by the report of extraordinary light transmission through metallic subwavelength hole arrays 1 which did not follow classical optical theory. 10 SPPs were initially proposed to assist in this enhanced transmission, 11 although subsequent theoretical and experimental work has claimed different mechanisms. [12][13][14] Understanding the role of SPPs in enhanced transmission is crucial for exploiting its nature to beat diffraction in applications such as subwavelength optics and nanophotonics. Here we present direct evidence for SPP-mediated enhanced transmission through gold nanohole arrays by combining, for the first time, near-field and far-field measurements of films with interhole spacings larger than the SPP wavelength. We propose a simple model that explains two types of interference in the near-field patterns and measure an SPP-enhancement factor > 8 in our gold hole arrays.Surface plasmon polaritons are collective charge oscillations that are produced by the resonant interaction between light and free electrons at the interface of metallic and dielectric materials. Additional momentum is required to couple light into SPPs because of their different dispersion relations. 15 This condition is typically satisfied by a corrugated surface such as a grating or by evanescent coupling with a prism or a near-field probe. 15,16 Far-field spectroscopy has been the main approach for investigating enhanced transmission through subwavelength hole arrays; 17,18 however, far-field measurements cannot unambiguously identify the presence of SPPs since their electromagnetic field is trapped in the near-field region of the metal-dielectric interface. Near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) is one technique that can directly image SPPs on a metal surface. In this Letter, we have combined NSOM imaging and far-field spectroscopy on isolated nanoholes and nanohole arrays in gold films to address the question of SPPenhanced optical transmission.Free-standing films of gold perforate...

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confidence: 99%

Direct Evidence for Surface Plasmon-Mediated Enhanced Light Transmission through Metallic Nanohole Arrays

2006

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“…The polaritons can be detected by a variety of techniques, among them holographic recording [11], observation of SPP-induced stray light with a camera [7], two-photon photo-emission electron microscopy [8,12], and SNOM [9,10]. Recently, the s-SNOM technique [1,13,14] was also employed, in this case to investigate SPPs on a gold film with a nano-trench etched into it.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…SPPs on conductive surfaces have usually been excited by illumination of edges, trenches, and other surface disruptions with electromagnetic radiation, which has a component of the electrical radiation field perpendicular to the respective boundary [7][8][9][10]. The polaritons can be detected by a variety of techniques, among them holographic recording [11], observation of SPP-induced stray light with a camera [7], two-photon photo-emission electron microscopy [8,12], and SNOM [9,10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anisotropic excitation of surface plasmon polaritons on a metal film by a scattering-type scanning near-field microscope with a non-rotationally-symmetric probe tip

et al. 2017

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Abstract:We investigated the excitation of surface plasmon polaritons on gold films with the metallized probe tip of a scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscope (s-SNOM). The emission of the polaritons from the tip, illuminated by near-infrared laser radiation, was found to be anisotropic and not circularly symmetric as expected on the basis of literature data. We furthermore identified an additional excitation channel via light that was reflected off the tip and excited the plasmon polaritons at the edge of the metal film. Our results, while obtained for a non-rotationally-symmetric type of probe tip and thus specific for this situation, indicate that when an s-SNOM is employed for the investigation of plasmonic structures, the unintentional excitation of surface waves and anisotropic surface wave propagation must be considered in order to correctly interpret the signatures of plasmon polariton generation and propagation.

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“…These asymmetric waveguides support a single low-loss, albeit leaky, SPP mode [75] and a number of short-range bound modes [76]. The waveguide X-shaped structure was defined on a glass substrate by electron beam lithography (EBL).…”

Section: The Samplesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantum Plasmonics: From Quantum Statistics to Quantum Interferences

Martino

2016

Reviews in Plasmonics

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Surface plasmon propagation in microscale metal stripes

Cited by 341 publications

References 14 publications

Direct Evidence for Surface Plasmon-Mediated Enhanced Light Transmission through Metallic Nanohole Arrays

Direct Evidence for Surface Plasmon-Mediated Enhanced Light Transmission through Metallic Nanohole Arrays

Anisotropic excitation of surface plasmon polaritons on a metal film by a scattering-type scanning near-field microscope with a non-rotationally-symmetric probe tip

Quantum Plasmonics: From Quantum Statistics to Quantum Interferences

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