THz surface plasmon jump between two metal edges

We excite surface plasmon in the THz frequency range at a metal surface using a diffraction grating coupler. Then the excited surface plasmon propagates along the flat metal surface, scatters into free space at the sample edge and then couples onto the flat surface of a second device similar to the emitting one. Using THz time-domain spectroscopy, we study plasmon propagation and its coupling processes in time and frequency domains. We measure a surface plasmon propagation length, at a flat air-aluminum interface, smaller than expected. We report for the first time a high coupling efficiency of the THz surface plasmon field between the two grating devices separated by a several centimeters-thick air gap.     

On the propagation characteristics of metal clad waveguides with a quantum well

The electromagnetic modes of planar metal clad dielectric waveguides containing an n-doped quantum well (QW) are studied theoretically. Special attention is paid on the coupling between metal surface plasmons and intersubband plasmons and the manifestation of this coupling in the propagation characteristics of metal/QW/dielectric and multimode metal/QW/dielectric/metal waveguide structures. The results obtained indicate that the modification of the propagation characteristic induced by the above-mentioned coupling is substantial only in the case of metal/QW/dielectric waveguide structures.     

Gain-assisted propagation of electromagnetic energy in subwavelength surface plasmon polariton gap waveguides

The propagation of electromagnetic energy via coupled surface plasmon polariton modes in a metal-insulator-metal heterostructure is analyzed analytically for a core material exhibiting optical gain. It is shown that a sufficiently large gain can completely compensate for the absorption losses due to energy dissipation in the metallic boundaries, enabling long-range transport with a confinement below the diffraction limit for on-chip switching and sensing applications. For a free-space wavelength of 1500 nm, lossless propagation in a gold-semiconductor-gold waveguide with a core size of 50 nm is predicted for a gain coefficient γ = 4830 cm⁻¹, comparable to that of semiconductor gain media. The gain requirements decrease with the use of low-index nanocrystal-doped glasses or polymers as core materials.     

Evanescent-field-induced two-photon fluorescence: excitation of macroscopic areas of planar waveguides

Two-photon excitation (TPE) of fluorescence is a powerful tool for separating a faintly emitted fluorescence signal from background excitation noise. Until now TPE has only been accomplished for very small excitation areas of a few square micrometre dimensions since they are readily available in the focal zone of high-power lasers. In this paper we demonstrate, to our knowledge for the first time, two-photon excited fluorescence with planar thin-film waveguide structures of macroscopic excitation areas of the order of square millimetres to square centimetres. Based upon our results, it can be envisaged that the new combination of planar waveguide technology with TPE will become a powerful tool for macroscopic surface-interaction studies. It can also open the way for further improving the sensitivity of biosensing platforms like genomic and proteomic microarrays based upon planar waveguides. Received: 7 November 2001 / Published online: 23 November 2001     

Performance of the effective index method in the modeling of nanoscale rectangular apertures in a real metal

We examine the performance of the widely used effective index method (EIM) in the modeling of a sub-wavelength rectangular hole in a real metal. Two different ways of applying the EIM, depending on the dimension (shorter or longer) considered first, are found to give very much different results for the modal characteristics of the modes guided by such structures. It is shown that the EIM gives accurate results only if one starts with the surface plasmon polariton (SPP) mode irrespective of shorter or longer dimension. The present findings should be useful in applying the EIM to analyze apertures of other shapes also.     

Electrical and photocatalytic properties of Na2Ti6O13 nanobelts prepared by molten salt synthesis

Single-crystalline Na₂Ti₆O₁₃ nanobelts were prepared on large-scale by molten salt synthesis at 825 °C for 3 h. The obtained nanobelts have typical width of less than 200 nm and thickness of 10-30 nm, and length up to 10 μm. The growth direction of the nanobelts was determined to be along [0 1 0]. Electrical transport property of an individual nanobelt was measured at room temperature and ambient atmosphere, and results showed that the nanobelts are semiconductor. Na₂Ti₆O₁₃ nanobelts exhibited good photocatalytic efficiency for the degradation of RhB under UV irradiation.     

Effects of surface roughness on the electrical characteristics of ZnO nanowire field effect transistors

We have systematically investigated the effects of surface roughness on the electrical characteristics of ZnO nanowire field effect transistors (FETs) before and after passivation by poly (methyl metahacrylate) (PMMA), a polymer-insulating layer. To control the surface morphology of ZnO nanowires, ZnO nanowires were grown by the vapor transport method on two different substrates, namely, an Au-catalyzed sapphire and an Au-catalyzed ZnO film/sapphire. ZnO nanowires grown on the Au-catalyzed sapphire substrate had smooth surfaces, whereas those grown on the Au-catalyzed ZnO film had rough surfaces. Electrical characteristics such as the threshold voltage shift and transconductance before and after passivation were strongly affected by the surface morphology of ZnO nanowires.     

Ultrafast optical nonlinear properties of metal nanoparticles

The physical origin and the dynamics of the ultrafast optical nonlinear response of noble metal nanoparticles are analyzed around the surface plasmon resonance frequency using extension of the bulk metal electron kinetics and band structure models. The computed spectral and temporal responses are found to be in very good agreement with the measured ones in silver when taking into account the impact of electron excitation on both the interband absorption and electron optical scattering rate. A good reproduction of the strong excitation regime experimental results is also obtained in the case of gold, with a dominant contribution of the interband effect. Received: 4 July 2001 / Published online: 10 October 2001     

The excitation and emission of terahertz surface plasmon polaritons on metal wire waveguides

The development of effective techniques for guiding pulsed terahertz radiation is essential for the continued development of terahertz spectroscopy and imaging applications based on the technique of time-domain spectroscopy. Terahertz surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) can be excited and guided on cylindrical metal wires with low loss and dispersion. This propagating surface wave, known as a Sommerfeld wave, possesses radial polarization, which is not well matched with conventional sources of pulsed terahertz radiation. A photoconductive terahertz antenna with radial symmetry produces radiation that more efficiently couples to the wire waveguide. At the end of the wire, terahertz SPPs emit radiation into free-space that exhibits frequency-dependent diffraction. To cite this article: J.A. Deibel et al., C. R. Physique 9 (2008).     

Effect of high energy ion irradiation on silicon substrate in a pulsed plasma device

We have performed an experimental analysis on the investigation of high energy ion beam irradiation on Si(1 0 0) substrates at room temperature using a low energy plasma focus (PF) device operating in methane gas. The surface modifications induced by the ion beams are characterized using standard surface science diagnostic tools, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), photothermal beam deflection, energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis and atomic force microscope (AFM) and the results are reported. In particular, it has been found that with silicon targets, the application of PF carbon ion beams results in the formation of a surface layer of hexagonal (6H) silicon carbide, with embedded self-organized step/terrace structures.     

Dynamic dielectric response of a quantum wire superlattice in interaction with a nonlocal host medium

We study nonlocality effects of a bulk plasmalike dielectric medium on the plasmon spectrum of a one-dimensional (1D) quantum wire superlattice in interaction with the 3D nonlocal host bulk plasma, by carrying out a closed-form analytic determination of the inverse dielectric function κ for the joint nanostructure system within the random phase approximation (RPA), in which we treat nonlocality of the 1D superlattice in the RPA and that of the bulk medium in the hydrodynamic model. By examining the frequency poles of κ (i.e., the dispersions relations), we show analytically that coupled plasmon modes of the interacting 1D superlattice-3D nonlocal host are damped in high frequencies (damping is pronounced near resonance region) and that nonlocality of the host medium introduces nonlocal low frequency (real) modes into the spectrum, which have cutoff frequencies for finite wave vector values. In order to describe the impact of nonlocality effects more clearly, we also examine the spectrum numerically.     

Transmitted interference effect of double metallic nanoslits composed of a slit and a square-funnel slit

The transmitted interference characteristics for double metallic nanoslits, which are composed of a slit and a square funnel, are investigated by the finite-difference time-domain method. Two types of interference patterns, i.e., the periodic single peak or the periodic double peaks profile, are observed by varying the geometric parameters of the square-funnel slit. The fringe period crucially depends on the exit layer thickness of the square-funnel slit. The near-field field intensity can be enhanced three times that in symmetric slit-doublet structure by selecting specific parameters. We also find that surface plasmon waves can creep along the interface between metal and dielectric, even though the interface possesses orthogonal corners.     

Distributed-feedback laser actions in zirconia-ORMOSIL waveguides based on energy transfer between co-doped laser dyes

Laser dyes such as pyrromethene 567 (PM567), perylene red (P-red) and coumarin 540A (C540A) were doped into zirconia-organically modified silicate (ORMOSIL) materials prepared by low temperature sol-gel technique. Narrow line-width distributed feedback (DFB) laser actions were induced in the PM567 and/or P-red doped sol-gel planar waveguide. Tuning of the output wavelength was achieved by varying the period of the gain modulation generated by a nanosecond Nd:YAG laser at 532 nm. Compared with those of PM567 and P-red solely doped thin films, tuning range of C540A, PM567 and P-red co-doped sol-gel planar waveguide was greatly extended, from 564.5 nm to 635.1 nm.     

Evidence of Verwey transition in iron- and iron oxide-encapsulated carbon nanotubes

Magnetization measurements in two different samples of iron- and iron oxide-encapsulated carbon nanotubes are presented. The samples showed coercivity smaller than 1 kOe. The dependence of the coercivity with the temperature has an abrupt change at temperatures close to 125 K. In this temperature the ZFC and FC magnetization curves also present an abrupt change. This effect is attributed to a Verwey transition.     

Design of terahertz wave polarizing beam splitter

In this paper, we design a THz wave polarizer based on a periodic symmetrical thin film structure, which operates over a broadband THz frequency region (1.0–2.0 THz) and over an effective wide range of incident THz wave (72–84°). The spectral performance of this structure is characterized by transfer matrix method calculations. Results of simulations show that the polarizer is highly transmittance for TE polarized THz wave as well as highly reflecting for TM polarized THz wave.     

Influence of grain growth on the high-frequency behaviour of ferromagnetic Fe-Co-(M)-N (M=Ta, Hf) nanocomposite films

The CMOS compatible ferromagnetic Fe-Co-(M)-N (M=Ta, Hf) films were investigated with regard to their grain size-dependent frequency behaviour. Predominantly Fe₃₃Co₄₀Ta₁₀N₁₇ films were deposited by reactive r.f. magnetron sputtering. These films were compared to Fe₃₆Co₄₄Hf₉N₁₁ films. In order to induce an in-plane uniaxial anisotropy H_u as well as to investigate the grain growth behaviour, the films were annealed in a static magnetic field. The in-plane uniaxial anisotropy field of around 4 mT as well as a good soft magnetic behaviour with a saturation polarisation of approximately 1.2-1.4 T could be observed after heat treatment. Ferromagnetic resonance frequencies (FMR) of approximately up to 2.4 GHz could be achieved according to the Kittel theory. Depending on the heat treatment, high-frequency losses through energy dissipation was made conspicuous by means of the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) Δf_eff of the imaginary part of the frequency-dependent permeability which was between 0.4 and 1 GHz. This FWHM was basically discussed in terms of two-magnon scattering theories, in combination with the Herzer random anisotropy model. In order to correlate the resonance line broadening with a phenomenological damping parameter α_eff, which ranged from about 0.0125 to 0.028, the modified Landau-Lifschitz-Gilbert equation was used to fit and describe the permeability spectra of the ferromagnetic films.     

Photo-induced enhancement of charge density wave current in the quasi-one-dimensional conductor TaS3

In the near vicinity of Peierls transition temperature T_P, we have measured the V-I characteristics of the quasi-one-dimensional conductor TaS₃ under dark and photo-irradiation conditions. It is found that a significant enhancement of CDW current occurs only around the threshold voltage V_t under photo-irradiation. This effect can be interpreted as a result of screening of pinning potential for CDW condensate by photo-excited quasi-particles (QP's). Further the distribution of pinning potential intensity is reflected in the behavior of V-I characteristics near V_t. Our finding suggests that the strength of pinning potential can be controlled by the photo-excited QP's in quasi-1D conductors.     

The effect of back electrode on the formation of electrodeposited CoNiFe magnetic nanotubes and nanowires

The electrodeposition of cobalt + nickel + iron alloy nanostructures in aqueous sulfate solution has been studied using vitreous templates placed on highly ordered porous anodic alumina oxide (AAO). During the deposition process some electrochemical bath parameters such as ion content, deposition voltage, pH and temperature of solution were kept constant. The morphological properties of the nanostructures were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the chemical composition was determined by examination of the energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectra. The magnetic behaviour of the arrays was determined with a vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM). Voltammetric and galvanostatic results indicate that the back electrodes placed on AAO plays the main role in obtaining nanowire or nanotube structured material.     

Hartman effect in presence of Aharanov-Bohm flux

The Hartman effect for a tunnelling particle implies the independence of group delay time on the opaque barrier width with superluminal velocities as a consequence. This effect is further examined on a quantum ring geometry in the presence of Aharonov-Bohm flux. We show that while tunnelling through an opaque barrier, the group delay time for given incident energy becomes independent of the barrier thickness as well as the magnitude of the flux. The Hartman effect is thereby extended beyond one dimension in the presence of Aharonov-Bohm flux.