• Revisiting Fresnel & refractive index

• What is the refractive index of a

dielectric

• Metals and plasmons

Squeezing plasmons in a nanowire
Mode width 150 nm
SPP l < 1 mm
At l 1.550 mm
 Snell’s law

Generic solution steps:

Step 1: Whenever translation invariance: Use conservation
to find allowed refracted wave vectors

together with
Sketch of k|| conservation

k|| conservation:

The only way for the

phase fronts to match

everywhere, any time

on the interface
 Amplitude s-polarization

Remember

Now eliminate t to obtain reflection coefficient r (equal m)

 Amplitude s-polarization

Remember
The parallel components of E and H are
continuous across the interface
at any location on the interface, & any time

Now eliminate t to obtain reflection coefficient r (equal m)

 What you see from this problem
Scattering: incident field (plane wave) is split by object

Reflections: are specular whenever translation invariance rules

Refraction: Snell’s law is just wave vector conservations

Total internal reflection: if wave vector is too long to

be conserved across the interface

Boundary conditions determine everything to do with amplitude

What ’s does nature give us ?
Why ?
 Optical materials
Optics deal with plane waves of speed

with

Metals: reflective Insulators: transparent

 Insulators
4
B Si Density raises
Refractive index

GaAs Semiconductors help

3 TiO2 (pigment)

2 Silicon nitride Si3N4 All ’s between 1 and 4

glass SiO2
1 Water
0 Metamaterial
-1 (Nature (2008)) Spoof (later class)
0.4 0.7 1.0 1.3 1.6 1.9
Wavelength (micron)
 Dielectrics
Dielectric materials:
All charges are attached to specific atoms or molecules
Response to an electric field :
Microscopic displacement of charges

Macroscopic material properties: electric susceptibility ,

dielectric constant (or relative dielectric permittivity)
 Atomic polarization
Equation of motion of electron:

: damping coefficient for given material

: restoring-force constant
resonance frequency

Assume is varying harmonically, and also

 Typical solids
multiple resonances for electrons per molecule:

Where is the
oscillator strength or
(quantum mechanically)
the transition probability

is a complex number:
 Optical materials
Optics deal with plane waves of speed c / n
with n  m
2

Metals: reflective Insulators: transparent

 Problem with trapping light
Scalar wave equation for light Schrödinger equation

V<U Confined states U < V

Light states are always above the potential maximum in dielectrics

Trap requires either interference or negative  (metals  plasmonics)
What do we know about metals ?

• Metals contain free electrons in an ionic backbone: ‘plasma’

• Static electric fields do not penetrate into metals. Fields are

shielded by surface charges

Questions:

- What is the permittivity of a metal at high frequencies ?

- How quickly can charges move to shield fields ?
 Plasma frequency – free charge
oscillation
Suppose we displace the whole electron gas by a distance d
n electrons at density N

Surface + - Surface
+ -
charge + - charge
+ -
+ -
+ -
+ -
+ -
+ -

n/Z ions

Collective plasma oscillation: frequency

 Quick estimate
Silver: 1 electron per atom
Mass density: 10.5 g/cm3 2
Ne
Atomic weight: 108 g/mole p 
m 0
N=5.8 1028 e- per m3
e=1.6 10-19 C
m=9 10-31 kg p= 1.37 1016 s-1
0=8.8 10-12 F/m
lp= 140 nm

Actual value – renormalized by m* ,

effective mass of conduction electrons
 Drude model
Drude model: conduction electrons with damping: equation of motion
2
d x 1 dx eE0 it
  e Free electrons: no restoring force
dt 2
τ dt m
For the conductivity s we find the ‘Drude model’:
dx σ0 Ne2 τ
j   Ne  σ E σ= σ0 =
dt 1  iωτ m
Drude model:
- The DC conductivity is set by the density of electrons
- The AC conductivity drops for frequencies approaching the electron
relaxation rate
 Converting conductivity to 
Compare Maxwell in two forms (without/with currents):

D E E
H 0 H j 0
t t t
iσ iσ 0 / 0 ω 2
p
1 1 1
ω 0 ω 1 iωτ ω2 iω

with collision rate g1/t and plasma frequency

Ne2 Special frequency scale

p  depending on metal
m 0
 Measured data and model for Ag
50
Drude model:
"  2p  2p
0  ' 1 , " g
 2
 2

Measured data:
'
Modified Drude model:
-50


" '
Drude model:
'  2p  2p
-100
"  '   , " g
Modified Drude model:  2
 2

'
-150 Contribution of
200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800
bound electrons
Wavelength (nm)
Ag:    3.4
Take home message:

1) A “dielectric” has  > 1, real

Bound charges

2) A perfect metal has  = - , real

perfect screening by free charges

3) A real metal has Re  < 0 up to the UV/visible

4) Im  signifies loss. For metals this is Ohmic resistance

 From plasmon to plasmonics
+ + +
Plasmons in the bulk oscillate at p Ne 2
determined by the free electron density p drude

m 0
and effective mass
- - -
k
Plasmons confined to surfaces that can
+ - +
interact with light to form propagating
drude 1 Ne2
surface
“surface plasmon polaritons (SPP)” 2m 0

Confinement effects result in resonant SPP

modes in nanoparticles
1 Ne 2
 particle 
drude

3 m 0
 Photonics with guided modes

Confining light in 1 or 2D to guide it along a plane or line

 kz-axis

4
k||-axis

nslab/c nclad/c

Guided mode if:

- In the high index medium kz2>0
- In the low index medium kz2<0 -exponential tail
 Dielectric slab

z x

Assumed exponential outside, oscillatory in the slab

Symmetric modes Asymmetric modes

 Dielectric slab
10
B

5 d/kz2d tan kz2d

-5 /c) d
Symmetric modes beyond is
kz2 imaginary
-10
0 2 4
kz2d

A symmetric dielectric 2D slab

has a symmetric guided mode for any thickness
 Dielectric slab
10
B

5 d/kz2d tan kz2d

Dielectric waveguides are widely used in

Micro- photonics
0

-5 /c) d
Symmetric modes
Low-loss transport, but: beyond is
kz2 imaginary
-10
• Vertical confinement is limited
0 to l/2
2 4
kz2d
• Wavelength is bounded by the dielectrics
• Hence, tight bends are leaky & chips are big
A symmetric dielectric 2D slab
has a symmetric guided mode for any thickness
Squeezing plasmons in a nanowire
Mode width 150 nm
SPP l < 1 mm
At l 1.550 mm
 Surface plasmon polariton

x
  i k x  k z t 
E d  x, z , t   E d , 0 e x z For propagating
  i k x k z t  bound waves:
E m ( x, z , t )  E m , 0 e x z - kx is real
- kz is imaginary

Polariton: light coupled to a material resonance

Plasmon polariton: EM wave coupled to plasma oscillations
 Dispersion relation
Derivation of surface plasmon dispersion relation: k()
2
2 Ed ,m
Wave equation: Ed ,m 0 0 d ,m
t2
2
1
H d ,m 2
H d ,m
d ,m c
We assume a transverse magnetic mode
H is perpendicular to k and parallel to the surface
 0 
  i kx x  k dz ,m z t 
H d , m  x, z , t    H y , d , m  e
 0 
 
 Dispersion relation
Wave equation gives
2
2 2
(k x k z ,d ,m ) H y ,d ,m d ,m 2
H y ,d ,m
c
Boundary conditions
Parallel H continuous
H y ,d H y ,m

kx 0 k zd ,m H y Parallel E continuous
1 1
Ed ,m 0 Hy 0 across interface
d d ,m
k zd ,m 0 kx H y
 Circles

2
(k x2 k z2,d ) d 2
c

Dielectric: equation of a circle

Also: imaginary kz for very large kx

Metal: equation of a circle with an imaginary radius

simply means: always exponentially confined
in some direction
 Dispersion relation
2
Wave equation gives (k x2 k z2,d ) d 2
c
2
(k x2 k z2,m ) m
c2
Boundary condition yields k z ,d k z ,m
d m
2
How to find a solution? 2
k 2 2 d 2
k x
Reshuffle and find kx z ,d d c
2 2 2
k z ,m m
m k x2
c2
 Dispersion relation

1/2
   m d 
x-direction: k x  k 'x  ik "x   
c  m  d 
  
1/2
2
z-direction: k z ,d k 'z ,d ik "z ,d d
c m d

Bound SP mode:
Requirement 1: kz imaginary: m + d < 0,
Requirement 2: kx real: m < 0
Conclusion: m < -d
 Dispersion relation
Conclusion for the wave vector along the plane
1/ 2
   m d 
x-direction: k x  k ' x ik "x      
c  m  d 
  
Note: in regular dielectric:  k  
 c 

For a lossless metal (m real, negative), this implies a

guided, propagating mode as long as

m  d < 0
 Measured data and model for Ag
50
Drude model:
"  2p  2p
0  ' 1 , " g
 2
 2

Measured data:
'
Modified Drude model:
-50


" '
Drude model:
'  2p  2p
-100
"  '   , " g
Modified Drude model:  2
 2

'
-150 Contribution of
200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800
bound electrons
Wavelength (nm)
Ag:    3.4
 1/ 2
   m d 
Surface plasmon dispersion relation: k x   
c  m  d 
 ck x
Radiative modes real kx
Weakly bound d Strongly bound
'm > 0) real kz
Almost free photons Very plasmonic
p
Quasi-bound modes
d < 'm < 0)
p
1 d
Dielectric: d
real kx
z Bound modes imaginary kz
x ('m < d)
Metal: m = m' + m"

Re kx
 1/ 2
   m d 
Surface plasmon dispersion relation: k x   
c  m  d 
 ck x
d real kx
'm > 0) real kz
Radiative modes
p

p
1 d
Dielectric: d
real kx
z Bound modes imaginary kz
x ('m < d)
Metal: m = m' + m"

Re kx
Further stuff to remember

1. Mode is truly transverse magnetic

2. Mode has strong longitudinal E-field k zd ,m H y
3. Mode has E-field normal to substrate Ed ,m 0
1/2 kx H y
Note that k z ,d / k x d

Mode sticks out a distance ~ l/5 or so from substrate

1
In the metal, the penetration depth is just k 1
z ,m ~
about the skin depth 2 | m |
 1/ 2
   m d 
Surface plasmon dispersion relation: k x   
c  m  d 

large k
ck x small wavelength

d

3.4 eV
(360 nm)

Ar laser: X-ray wavelengths

lvac = 488 nm at optical frequencies
ldiel = 387 nm
Ag/SiO2 lSP = 100 nm

Re kx
 Even better at this
Insulator-metal-insulator Metal-insulator-metal
Converse geometry: MIM

Symmetric
mode only

Very dispersive

Relatively low loss

 Surface plasmon photonics
• Experimental evidence for surface
plasmons

• What can we do with surface plasmons ?

 1. Driving with electrons
Surface plasmon polariton:
light + charge oscillations
75 keV EELS on 16 nm thin aluminium

Drive by e- Bulk plasmon

Energy lost, DE Surface plasmons

+-+-+-+-+-

Dk
Phonons
DE
Ballistic Deflection angle
Pettit, Vincent & Silcox, PRB 1975 ~ Dk
 2. Coupling to light
Problem: wave vector of plasmon is too long for free photons

Light can only couple in if

+-+-+-+-+-

How can we offer bigger wave vectors ?

 2. Coupling to light
Matching the wave vector of plasmons

Prism coupling
‘Attenuated total reflection’
Minimum traces (,kSPP)
 Prism coupling

Excite air-side plasmon from the glass side

SPR bio-sensing

10+ companies:
Biacore
Biosensing instr.
…

Gold with
protein-selective
funtionalization

Senses D
of dielectric side
Plasmons guided in a strip
Light converted into SPPs guided along Au
strips on glass (40 nm high, l=800 nm)

Bound & confined in direction normal to

the strip

Weeber et al. / Dijon

Squeezing plasmons in a nanowire
Mode width 150 nm
SPP l < 1 mm
At l 1.550 mm
Metal-Insulator-Metal

Measured lSPP ~ l/12

Hybrid guiding geometries

Zhang group Berkeley

Low-index gap of < 5 nm high

Mode area 1% of cylinder area

World’s most compact laser