CREOL, College of Optics & Photonics, University of Central Florida www.creol.ucf.

edu

Optical Properties of Nanostructured Materials

What you will learn:

- Materials with sizes smaller than the wavelength of light show unusual behavior

- The unusual properties of nanostructured optical materials give rise to

new science and new technologies

Nanoparticle plasmons and applications

Surface plasmon waveguides

photonic crystals

Michaels et al. J. Am. Chem.

Soc. 1999, 121, 9932-9939

Notomi, Phys. Rev. B 62, 10696 (2000)

Optical Properties of Nanostructured Materials Spring 2011 - Class 1 1

Introduction

Applications

New phenomena on nanoscale : new / improved technology

- optical on-chip communication (high speed, low heat dissipation)
- chemical detection (optical resonators/PBG, SERS)
- high density optical data storage (SuperRENS)
- High resolution optical lithography (near-field lithography)

Why now?

New fabrication and analysis techniques, e.g.

- e-beam lithography
- self-assembly
- focused ion beam processing
- biomimetic engineering
- near-field scanning optical microscopy
- electromagnetics simulation tools

Optical Properties of Nanostructured Materials Spring 2011 - Class 1 2

OSE6650 Spring 2011 - Class 1: Introduction 1

CREOL, College of Optics & Photonics, University of Central Florida www.creol.ucf.edu

Annual number of papers with ‘surface plasmon’ in title or abstract

2000

dis covery of the perfect lens

1500 1 paper / 6 hrs SP mediated anomalous

Num ber of articles light transmission obs erved

prediction of nanoscale light

guiding in metal waveguides
1000

first commercial SP based biosens or

observation
plasmon of SERS
500 discov ery
excitation
of surface with prism
plasmons

0
1955 1 960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1 995 2000 2005

Year Surface Plasmon Nanophotonics,

M. L. Brongersma and P. G. Kik (Eds.),
Springer Series in Optical Sciences (2007)
Field of ‘plasmonics’ is growing rapidly
Important developments: easy excitation / biosensing applications / nanophotonics
Optical Properties of Nanostructured Materials Spring 2011 - Class 1 3

Optical Properties of Nanostructured Materials - overview

Broad overview of course contents (see also course website)

1. effective medium theory

- Maxwell-Garnett description of the refractive index of inhomogeneous materials
- applications of nanostructured dielectrics
- anti-reflection coatings based on sub-micron surface structures

2. optical properties of nanostructured metallo-dielectric materials

- surface plasmons on metal nanoparticles, Mie theory
- spectral control of the plasmon resonance by tuning shape, size, and dielectric environment.
- arrays of interacting metal nanoparticles
- propagating modes with sub-wavelength lateral confinement.
- dispersion relation of plasmon waveguides
- anomalous transmission through hole arrays in thin metal films
- sub-diffraction limit imaging in the near-field using surface plasmons
- metamaterials and negative refraction

3. Photonic crystals
- Photonic bandgap,
- Density of States
- PBG based waveguides

4. Simulation of relevant nanophotonic structures

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CREOL, College of Optics & Photonics, University of Central Florida www.creol.ucf.edu

Optical Properties of Nanostructured Materials – schedule (preliminary)

Optical Properties of Nanostructured Materials Spring 2011 - Class 1 5

Maxwell-Garnett description of the refractive index

Inhomogeneous materials have a refractive index that depends on the topology:

- Refractive index not simply the weighted average of indices of constituents

- The shape, size, and distribution of nanoscale inclusions affect light propagation

infrared light guiding in nc doped WG

SiO2

Si

50 μm

Describes many optical systems, including nanocrystal doped waveguides

Optical Properties of Nanostructured Materials Spring 2011 - Class 1 6

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CREOL, College of Optics & Photonics, University of Central Florida www.creol.ucf.edu

Surface plasmons on individual homogeneous metal nanoparticles

Finite size conductive materials show collective resonances or

surface plasmons.

These can e.g. be observed in

transmission measurements and
dark-field microscopy due to silver
resonantly enhanced absorption
and scattering

10 μm

Image: Carsten Sönnichsen

Optical Properties of Nanostructured Materials Spring 2011 - Class 1 7

Spectral control of the plasmon resonance

The plasmon resonance is sensitive to shape, size, material, and environment

Optical Properties of Nanostructured Materials Spring 2011 - Class 1 8

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CREOL, College of Optics & Photonics, University of Central Florida www.creol.ucf.edu

Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS)

Processes that require high intensity can be optimized using locally enhanced fields

Optical Properties of Nanostructured Materials Spring 2011 - Class 1 9

Surface plasmons on core-shell particles / applications

Design of the local environment of particles can be used to control the resonance
for applications e.g. in biological labeling

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CREOL, College of Optics & Photonics, University of Central Florida www.creol.ucf.edu

Surface plasmons on arrays of metal nanoparticles

Dipole-dipole interactions
between metal nanoparticles
can be used to fabricate
nanoscale optical waveguides

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Surface plasmons on planar metal films

λx (nm)
400 200 100
Conductive surfaces also support
collective electron oscillations or 4 Au-Si3N4
surface plasmons.
Plasmon wavelength depends on
frequency, and is shorter than
s )
-1

the wavelength of light

15
ω (10

ω ε Auε SiN
kx =
c ε Au + ε SiN

0
0 20 40 60 80 100
Au kx (μm )
-1

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CREOL, College of Optics & Photonics, University of Central Florida www.creol.ucf.edu

Excitation of surface plasmons

Approaches:

- near-field excitation (local source: no well defined wavelength)

- grating coupling (periodicity allows phase matching)
- prism coupling (short wavelength due to high refractive index + tunneling)

Optical Properties of Nanostructured Materials Spring 2011 - Class 1 13

Surface plasmons in thin films: long-range surface plasmons

Thin metal films support coupled plasmon modes that involve charge
oscillations at two closely spaced (tens of nm) surfaces or interfaces

Features:
- large mode size
- long propagation length

Optical Properties of Nanostructured Materials Spring 2011 - Class 1 14

OSE6650 Spring 2011 - Class 1: Introduction 7

CREOL, College of Optics & Photonics, University of Central Florida www.creol.ucf.edu

Lateral confinement

Narrow metal strips allow for plasmon propagation with strong lateral confinement

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Plasmonic devices - simple plasmonic integrated circuits

Surface plasmons can be made to interfere:

switching and redirection of plasmon waves is possible

Optical Properties of Nanostructured Materials Spring 2011 - Class 1 16

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CREOL, College of Optics & Photonics, University of Central Florida www.creol.ucf.edu

Metamaterials and negative refraction

Materials can be structured

on sub-wavelength scale
such that the individual
elements have a certain
desired electromagnetic
response: metamaterials

This has been used to

demonstrate negative
refraction

Optical Properties of Nanostructured Materials Spring 2011 - Class 1 17

Sub-diffraction limit imaging using thin metal films

At specific frequencies, surface plasmons can be

strongly localized on metal films. This can be used
to achieve sub-diffraction limit focusing
(NSOM image by Grady Webb-Wood)

Optical Properties of Nanostructured Materials Spring 2011 - Class 1 18

OSE6650 Spring 2011 - Class 1: Introduction 9

CREOL, College of Optics & Photonics, University of Central Florida www.creol.ucf.edu

Plasmon enhanced near-field lithography (if time permits)

Fields around nanostructures are

confined in space. This allows for
nanolithography at visible wavelengths

Metal nanoparticle arrays for near field optical lithography,

P.G. Kik, S.A. Maier, and H.A. Atwater, SPIE Proceedings (2002)

Optical Properties of Nanostructured Materials Spring 2011 - Class 1 19

Anomalous transmission through nanostructured thin films

Excitation of surface plasmons on a nanoscale perforated metal film

results in frequency dependent transmission that is larger than originally predicted

Optical Properties of Nanostructured Materials Spring 2011 - Class 1 20

OSE6650 Spring 2011 - Class 1: Introduction 10

CREOL, College of Optics & Photonics, University of Central Florida www.creol.ucf.edu

Photonic crystals I - LDOS near an interface

The optical density of states in structured dielectrics affects atomic/molecular

emission rates. Applications in low threshold lasers and single photon emission
From M.J.A. de Dood, PhD thesis

Al2O3

+
-

Note: emission near the interface on the low index side is enhanced,
and emission on the high index side is suppressed near the interface

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Photonic crystals II - optical bandgaps

light incident on series of interfaces all spaced λ/2n apart

⇒ reflected wave ~100%; no propagation in stack possible ⇒ 1D bandgap

λ/2n1
λ/2n2

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CREOL, College of Optics & Photonics, University of Central Florida www.creol.ucf.edu

Photonic Crystals III – band structure, defect modes, refraction

2D structures: dispersion relation angle dependent

Similar to phonons in atomic lattices or electrons in periodic potentials
(but without exclusion principle!)
Joannopoulos, JD, Villeneuve, PR & Fan, S. Nature 386, 143-149 (1997) line defect waveguides

Kiyoshi Asakawa, University of Tsukuba, Japan

3D localized defect modes (here: graded structure)

Prof. Painter, Caltech

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Optical Properties of Nanostructured Materials

Summary

- Materials with sizes smaller than the wavelength of light show unusual behavior:
Localized plasmon resonances, quantum confinement, sensitization

- You are going to consume large amounts of science – please digest weekly!

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OSE6650 Spring 2011 - Class 1: Introduction 12