Plasmonic amplifiers: engineering giant light enhancements by tuning resonances in multiscale plasmonic nanostructures

VO2 based polarization-independent dual-wavelength plasmonic switches using U and C shaped nanostructures

We have proposed vanadium dioxide (VO2) based polarization-independent dual-wavelength plasmonic switches using a periodic combination of U and C shaped gold nanostructures on a gold coated silicon dioxide (SiO2) substrate with a thin VO2 film as spacer between the nanostructures and the underlying substrate. A spatial offset between the two nanostructures is taken such that high switching efficiency is obtained simultaneously at two wavelengths for all polarization angles of incident light. The switching mechanism is based on the transformation of the phase change material, VO2, from its monoclinic semiconductor state to its tetragonal metal state when exposed to an external stimulus. This transformation leads to a significant change in the optical behavior of the proposed switch, leading to an effective transition from ON to OFF state. Finite difference time domain (FDTD) modelling shows that the proposed switches are capable of achieving a high extinction ratio of ~ 20 dB at two wavelengths-1560 nm and 2130 nm-for incident light with any polarization angle. To demonstrate the spectral tunability of switching wavelengths, the optimization of the geometrical parameters is also carried out. These switches can be employed in telecommunication networks, optical communications, and integrated photonic circuits.

Multi-wavelength and broadband plasmonic switching with V-shaped plasmonic nanostructures on a VO2coated plasmonic substrate

In this paper, periodic arrays of identicalV-shaped gold nanostructures and variableV-shaped gold nanostructures are designed on top of a gold-coated silicon dioxide (SiO2) substrate with a thin spacer layer of vanadium dioxide (VO2) to realize multi-wavelength and broadband plasmonic switches, respectively. The periodic array of identicalV-shaped nanostructures (IVNSs) with small inter-particle separation leads to coupled interactions of the elementary plasmons of aV-shaped nanostructure (VNS), resulting in a hybridized plasmon response with two longitudinal plasmonic modes in the reflectance spectra of the proposed switches when the incident light is polarized in thex-direction. Thex-direction is oriented along the axis that joins theV-junctions of all VNSs in one unit cell of the periodic array. On exposure to temperature, electric field, or optical stimulus, the VO2layer transforms from its monoclinic semiconducting state to its rutile metallic state, leading to an overall change in the reflectance spectra obtained from the proposed nanostructures and resulting in an efficient multi-wavelength switching action. Finite difference time domain modelling is employed to demonstrate that an extinction ratio (ER) >12 dB at two wavelengths can be achieved by employing the proposed switches based on periodic arrays of IVNSs. Further, plasmonic switches based on variableV-shaped nanostructures-i.e. multiple VNSs with variable arm lengths in one unit cell of a periodic array-are proposed for broadband switching. In the broadband operation mode, we report an ER >5 dB over an operational wavelength range >1400 nm in the near-IR spectral range spanning over all optical communication bands, i.e. theO, E, S, C, LandUbands. Further, it is also demonstrated that the wavelength of operation for these switches can be tuned by varying the geometrical parameters of the proposed switches. These switches have the potential to be employed in communication networks where ultrasmall and ultrafast switches with multi-wavelength operation or switching over a wide operational bandwidth are inevitably required.

Plasma amplifiers: multiscale light-enhanced uniform SERS composite substrates for breaking through resonance limitations

A phenomenon known as plasmon resonance constitutes a unique optical effect that can induce an enhancement in localized electromagnetic fields, resulting in a substantial increase in the electromagnetic field intensity surrounding metallic nanostructures. In this work, the coupling effect of excitation of surface plasmon polaritons and local surface plasmons in nanoparticles is deeply studied under the background of nanoparticles/one-dimension grating composite structures through grating matching. By employing finite-difference time-domain simulations as our methodological approach, we discern gratings with a periodicity of 1.5 μm support surface plasmon bound states between the gratings. Furthermore, the modulation of SPs along the vertical sidewalls of the grating due to standing wave effects exhibits oscillatory behavior with varying grating heights. Experimental results obtained from the nanoparticle/grating composite SERS substrate validate theoretical predictions, demonstrating higher enhanced Raman signals at 633 nm compared to 532 nm. Remarkably, this structure exhibits good performance, with R6G detection sensitivity down to concentrations as low as 10-10 M and mapping achieving a relative standard deviation of 7.79%, underscoring its uniformity and capability of electromagnetic field enhancement.

Plasmonic switches based on VO2as the phase change material

In this paper, a comprehensive review of the recent advancements in the design and development of plasmonic switches based on vanadium dioxide (VO2) is presented. Plasmonic switches are employed in applications such as integrated photonics, plasmonic logic circuits and computing networks for light routing and switching, and are based on the switching of the plasmonic properties under the effect of an external stimulus. In the last few decades, plasmonic switches have seen a significant growth because of their ultra-fast switching speed, wide spectral tunability, ultra-compact size, and low losses. In this review, first, the mechanism of the semiconductor to metal phase transition in VO2is discussed and the reasons for employing VO2over other phase change materials for plasmonic switching are described. Subsequently, an exhaustive review and comparison of the current state-of-the-art plasmonic switches based on VO2proposed in the last decade is carried out. As the phase transition in VO2can be activated by application of temperature, voltage or optical light pulses, this review paper has been categorized into thermally-activated, electrically-activated, and optically-activated plasmonic switches based on VO2operating in the visible, near-infrared, infrared and terahertz frequency regions.

Magnetic tuning of SERS hot spots in polymer-coated magnetic-plasmonic iron-silver nanoparticles

Plasmonic nanostructures are intensively studied for their ability to create electromagnetic hot spots, where a great variety of optical and spectroscopic processes can be amplified. Understanding how to control the formation of hot spots in a dynamic and reversible way is crucial to further expand the panorama of plasmon enhanced phenomena. In this work, we investigate the ability to modulate the hot spots in magnetic-plasmonic iron-doped silver nanoparticles dispersed in aqueous solution, by applying an external magnetic field. Evidence of magnetic field induction of hot spots was achieved by measuring the amplification of surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) from analytes dispersed in the solution containing Ag-Fe NPs. A polymeric shell was introduced around Ag-Fe NPs to confer colloidal stability, and it was found that the length and density of the polymer chains have a significant influence on SERS performance, and therefore on the formation of electromagnetic hot spots, under the action of the external magnetic field. These findings are expected to provide an important contribution to understanding the growing field of tuneable electromagnetic enhancement by external stimuli, such as magnetic fields applied to magnetic-plasmonic nanoparticles.

Hybridized plasmon modes and near-field enhancement of metallic nanoparticle-dimer on a mirror

For the attractive plasmonic structure consisting of metal nanoparticles (NPs) on a mirror, the coexistence of near-field NP-NP and NP-mirror couplings is numerically studied at normal incidence. By mapping their 3D surface charge distributions directly, we have demonstrated two different kinds of mirror-induced bonding dipole plasmon modes and confirmed the bonding hybridizations of the mirror and the NP-dimer which may offer a much stronger near-field enhancement than that of the isolated NP dimers over a broad wavelength range. Further, it is revealed that the huge near-field enhancement of these two modes exhibit different dependence on the NP-NP and NP-mirror hot spots, while both of their near-field resonance wavelengths can be tuned to the blue exponentially by increasing the NP-NP gaps or the NP-mirror separation. Our results here benifit significantly the fundamental understanding and practical applications of metallic NPs on a mirror in plasmonics.

Dimer-on-mirror SERS substrates with attogram sensitivity fabricated by colloidal lithography

Nanoplasmonic substrates with optimized field-enhancement properties are a key component in the continued development of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) molecular analysis but are challenging to produce inexpensively in large scale. We used a facile and cost-effective bottom-up technique, colloidal hole-mask lithography, to produce macroscopic dimer-on-mirror gold nanostructures. The optimized structures exhibit excellent SERS performance, as exemplified by detection of 2.5 and 50 attograms of BPE, a common SERS probe, using Raman microscopy and a simple handheld device, respectively. The corresponding Raman enhancement factor is of the order 10(11), which compares favourably to previously reported record performance values.

Designing and fabricating double resonance substrate with metallic nanoparticles–metallic grating coupling system for highly intensified surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy

We propose and fabricate a novel double-resonance SERS system by strategically assembling Au NPs separated by a MoO₃nanospacer from an Ag grating film.