Lecture 9: Introduction to Metal Optics

5 nm
 What happened at the previous lectures ?
Light interaction with small objects (d < λ)
• Insulators (Rayleigh Scattering, blue sky..)
• Semiconductors (Size dependent absorption, fluorescence..)
• Metals…Resonant absorption at ωsp

Microparticles
• Particles with d ≈ λ (λ-independent scattering, white clouds)

• Particles with d >> λ (Intuitive ray-picture useful)

Dielectric photonic crystal

• Molding the flow of light

 Metal Optics: An Introduction
Majority of optical components based on dielectrics
• High speed, high bandwidth (ω), but…
• Does not scale well Needed for large scale integration
Problems
Bending losses Diffraction Limit
nCLAD
nCORE

Optical mode in waveguide > λ0/2nCORE

Solutions ?
Some fundamental problems!

Some:
Photonic functionality based on metals?!

J. D. Joannopoulos, et al, Nature, vol.386, p.143-9 (1997)

 Plasmon-Polaritons
What is a plasmon ?
• Compare electron gas in a metal and real gas of molecules

• Metals are expected to allow for electron density waves: plasmons

Bulk plasmon
• Metals allow for EM wave propagation above the plasma frequency
They become transparent!

Surface plasmon z
E Strong local field
Dielectric

Metal I
H
Note: This is a TM wave

• Sometimes called a surface plasmon-polariton (strong coupling to EM field)

 Local Field Intensity Depends on Wavelength

z z
D << λo

I I
Long wavelength Short wavelength

Characteristics plasmon-polariton • Strong localization of the EM field

• High local field intensities easy to obtain

Applications: • Guiding of light below the diffraction limit (near-field optics)

• Non-linear optics
• Sensitive optical studies of surfaces and interfaces
• Bio-sensors
• Study film growth
• ……
 Plasmon-Polariton Propagation in Au rod

Laser excitation
λ = 532 nm

8.1 µm Au rod

Light at the other end

R.M. Dickson and L. A. Lyon, J. Phys. Chem. B 104, 6095-6098 (2000)

Plasmon-Polariton Excitation using a Launch Pad

J.R. Krenn et al., Europhys.Lett. 60, 663-669 (2002)

 50 nm

• Array of 50 nanometer diameter Au particles spaced by 75 nanometer

• Guides electromagnetic energy at optical frequency below the diffraction limit
• Enables communication between nanoscale devices
• Information transport at speeds and densities exceeding current electronics

M.L. Brongersma, et al., Phys. Rev. B 62, R16356 (2000)

S.A. Maier et al., Advanced materials 13, 1501 (2001)
Purdue Near-Field Optical Microscope

• Nanonics MultiView 2000

• NSOM / AFM
• Tuning Fork Feedback
Control
– Normal or Shear Force
• Aperture tips down to 50 nm
• AFM tips down to 30 nm
• Radiation Source
– 532 nm
Picture taken from Nanonics
 APD

To Piezoelectrics HV Source
Filter
Freq. Gen.
Obj. Lens
Upper Piezo Fiber Tip 532nm Source

Lock-In Detector

Lower Piezo
Tuning Fork PID Controller
Obj. Lens

Filter Computer

APD
Enhanced Transmission
Metal through
optics will make yourSub-λ
dreamsApertures
come true….

• Ag film with a 440 nm diameter hole

surrounded by circular grooves
• Transmission enhancement of 10 x
compared to a bare hole
• 3x more light than directly impingent on hole !

• Reason: Excitation of plasmon-polaritons

T.Thio et al., Optics Letters 26, 1972-1974 (2001).

 Optical Properties of an Electron Gas (Metal)
Dielectric constant of a free electron gas (no interband transitions)
• Consider a time varying field: E (t ) = Re {E (! )exp ("i!t )}

• Equation of motion electron (no damping)

d 2r
m 2 = !eE
dt d 2p
m 2 = e2E
• Dipole moment electron p (t ) = !er (t ) dt

• Harmonic time dependence p (t ) = Re {p (! )exp ("i!t )}

• Substitution p into Eq. of motion: "m! 2p (! ) = e 2 E (! )

e2 1
• This can be manipulated into: p (! ) = " 2
E (! )
m!
Np (! ) Ne 2 1 ! p2
• The dielectric constant is: "r = 1+ # = = 1$ = 1$ 2
" 0 E (! ) " 0m ! 2 !
!r
!p !
 Dispersion Relation for EM Waves in Electron Gas
Determination of dispersion relation for bulk plasmons
2
! " E (r , t )
• The wave equation is given by: r
= # 2
E (r , t )
c2 "t 2
• Investigate solutions of the form: E (r , t ) = Re {E (r , ! )exp (ik " r # i!t )}

! 2" r = c 2 k 2 2
" ! p
#
! p2 ! %1 $ 2 & = ! 2 $ ! p2 = c 2 k 2
2
• Dielectric constant: " r = 1 # 2 % ! &
! ' (

• Dispersion relation:
! = ! p2 + c 2 k 2
!
! = ck

!p
No allowed propagating modes
(imaginary k)

k
Note1: Solutions lie above light line
Note2: Metals: ħωp ≈ 10 eV; Semiconductors ħωp < 0.5 eV (depending on dopant conc.)
 Dispersion Relation Surface-Plasmon Polaritons
Solve Maxwell’s equations with boundary conditions
• We are looking for solutions that look like:
E z
Dielectric

Metal x
H

• Mathematically: H d = (0, H yd , 0 )exp i (k xd x + k zd z " !t )

z<0
Ed = (Exd , 0, Ezd )exp i (k xd x + k zd z " !t )

z>0 H m = (0, H ym , 0 )exp i (k xm x + k zm z " !t )

Em = (Exm , 0, Ezm )exp i (k xm x + k zm z " !t )
• Maxwell’s Equations in medium i (i = metal or dielectric):
!H "E
" #!i E = 0 !" H = 0 " # E = $ µ0 # $ H = !i
!t "t
• At the boundary:
Ex ,m = Ex ,d ! m Ezm = ! d Ezm H ym = H yd
 Dispersion Relation Surface-Plasmon Polaritons
• Start with curl equation for H in medium i (as we did for EM waves in vacuum)

"Ei
# $ Hi = !i
"t
where H i = (0, H yi , 0 )exp i (k xi x + k zi z " !t )
Ei = (Exi , 0, Ezi )exp i (k xi x + k zi z " !t )

$ #H zi #H yi #H xi #H zi #H yi #H xi %
' & , & , & ( = (ik zi H yi , 0, ik xi H yi )= (&i!" i Exi , 0, i!" i Ezi )
) #y #z #z #x #x #y *

• We will use that: k zi H yi = #!" i Exi k zm H yi = #!" m Exm

k zd H yd = #!" d Exd k zm k
H ym = zd H yd
!m !d
• E// across boundary is continuous: Ex ,m = Ex ,d

• H// across boundary is continuous: H ym = H yd

k zm k zd
k zm k =
Combine with: H ym = zd H yd !m !d
!m !d
 Dispersion Relation Surface-Plasmon Polaritons
Relations between k vectors z k zd !d = 1
k zm k zd
• Condition for SP’s to exist: = Example
!m !d k zm ! m = "1

z Air
• Relation for kx (Continuity E//, H//) : k xm = k xd Example
SiO2
true at any boundary

2
#! $
• For any EM wave: k x2 + k zi2 = " i % &
'c(
2
#! $ Dispersion relation
• Both in the metal and dielectric: k sp = k x = " i & ' % k zi2 1/ 2
(c) "# ! ! $
kx = % m d &
k zm k zd c ' !m + !d (
=
!m !d
homework
 Dispersion Relation Surface-Plasmon Polaritons
Plot of the dispersion relation
1/ 2
" # ! m! d $
• Last page: k x = % &
c ' !m + !d (
!r
• Plot dielectric constants dielectric
!d metal

!p !
"! d
!sp

1/ 2
" & ! m! d ' " !
• Low ω: k x = lim ) ( !d k= "d
* c
c ! m #$% + ! m + ! d , c !
!sp
• At ω = ωsp (when εm = -εd): k x ! "

• Note: Solution lies below the light line k

 Dispersion Relation Surface-Plasmon Polaritons
Dispersion relation plasma modes and SPP

Metal/air
!SP , Air
Metal/dielectric with εd
"SP ,! d

• Note: Higher index medium on metal results in lower ωsp

! p2 2 2 2 ! 2
!p
ω = ωsp when:" m = 1 # 2 = #" d ! # ! = #" d !
p !2 = p !=
! 1+ "d 1+ "d
 Excitation Surface-Plasmon Polaritons with Electrons
Excitation with electrons
• First experiments with high energy electrons

• Measurement: Energy loss

Direction of e’s:

• Whole dispersion relation can be investigated

• Low k’s are hard!

Example: 50 keV has a λ = 0.005 nm << λlight

kelectron >> klight

Stringent requirement on divergence e- beam

 logical next step?
Nanophotonics with Plasmonics: A logical next step?

• The operating speed of data transporting and processing systems

Photonics (µm-scale structures ~ 1µm)
1T Plasmonics? (nm-scale structures)
DWDM
Operating speed (Hz)

WDM
CMOS Electronics
1G
130 nm
Coaxial circuits
1.8 µm
1M

Transcontinental cable Communication networks

1k Telephone CMOS Electronics
Plasmonics
Telegraph
1
1825 1850 1875 1900 1925 1950 1975 2000 2025 2050 Time
Time
 The ever-increasing need for faster information processing and transport is undeniable

Electronic components are running out of steam due to issues with RC-delay times
 Why not electronics?
As data rates AND component packing densities INCREASE,
electrical interconnects become progressively limited by RC-delay:

A
L

1 A
R $ L / A % C $ L # Bmax $ $ 2
RC L
A
# Bmax " 10 ! 2 (bit/s) ( A << L2 !)
15

Electronics is aspect-ratio limited in speed!

 Why not photonics?

The bit rate in optical communications is fundamentally limited

only by the carrier frequency: Bmax < f ~ 100 Tbit/s (!),
but light propagation is subjected to diffraction:

core

a cladding

2' 2 2 2!
ncore = nclad + %n = n + %n # V = a ncore ! nclad " a 2n%n
& ë
well ! guided mode : V $ ' # a " & / 2 2n%n ! mode size : %n <<1 ( !)

Photonics is diffraction- limited in size!

 Why Plasmonics?

" #m#d
D ksp =
λsp c #m + #d
E
εd > 0 Dispersion Relation for SPPs:
εm < 0 - - -+ + + - - - + + +
H
!
optical ω
nm-scale λ

! m (" ) # $! d (" )
λp ~ very small

SP wavelengths can reach nanoscale at optical frequencies!

SPPs are “x-ray waves” with optical frequencies
Why nanophotonics needs plasmons?

Courtesy of M. Brongersma