Active plasmonics: current status

Techniques for active modulation and control of plasmonic signals in future highly‐integrated nanophotonic devices have advanced rapidly in recent years, with recent innovations extending performance into the terahertz frequency and femtojoule‐per‐bit switching energy domains. As thoughts turn towards the development of practical device structures, key technologies are compared in this review and prospects are assessed for the future development of the field.     

基于石墨烯电极的蒽醌分子器件开关特性

研究了基于石墨烯电极的蒽醌分子器件的开关特性.分别选取了锯齿型和扶手椅型的石墨烯纳米带作为电极,考虑蒽醌基团在氧化还原反应下的两种构型,即氢醌(HQ)分子和蒽醌(AQ)分子,构建了双电极分子结,讨论了氧化还原反应和不同的电极结构对蒽醌分子器件开关特性的影响.研究发现,无论是锯齿型石墨烯电极还是扶手椅型石墨烯电极,HQ构型的电流都明显大于AQ构型的电流,即在氧化还原反应下蒽醌分子呈现出显著的开关特性.同时,当选用锯齿型石墨烯电极时其开关比最高能达到3125,选用扶手椅型石墨烯电极时开关比最高能达到1538.此外,当HQ构型以扶手椅型石墨烯为电极时,在0.7-0.75 V之间表现出明显的负微分电阻效应.因此该系统在未来分子开关器件领域具有潜在的应用价值.     

Flexible resistance memory devices based on Cu/ZnO:Mg/ITO structure

Resistance memory devices based on a Cu/Mg‐doped ZnO/indium‐tin‐oxide structure on a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) flexible substrate were fabricated. The devices showed stable bipolar resistance switching property and good flexibility. The high to low resistance ratio was larger than 30 times, the endurance was more than 10² cycles, and the resistance retention was longer than 10⁴ s. The resistance values of both high and low resistance states were not significantly changed by bending in a radius (≥20 mm) for more than 10³ times. This resistance switching phenomenon of our devices can be explained by creation/rupture of metal conductive channels induced by electrochemical migration of Cu ions. (© 2010 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Switchable surface plasmon dichroic splitter modulated by optical polarization

For the miniaturization of optical devices, surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) have been widely utilized due to their outstanding confinement and field‐enhancement characteristics. Analyzing a spectrum of optical signals and splitting certain regions of the spectrum range within a submicrometer‐scale structure are demanded for optical integrated systems. In this paper, a novel type of dichroic surface plasmon launcher that can switch the launching direction according to incident polarization states is demonstrated. Compared to the previously reported plasmonic dichroic splitters, the proposed schemes do not use any asymmetric geometry for directional launching. Hence, the direction of guided SPPs can be interchanged according to the polarization state. Such characteristics will be helpful to design switchable plasmonic devices that can be applied to active plasmonic integrated circuits.     

Nanowire plasmonic waveguides,circuits and devices

As typical one‐dimensional nanostructures for waveguiding tightly confined optical fields beyond the diffraction limit, metal nanowires have been used as versatile nanoscale building blocks for functional plasmonic and photonic structures and devices. Metal nanowires, especially those fabricated by bottom‐up synthesis such as Ag and Au nanowires, usually exhibit excellent diameter uniformity and surface smoothness with diameters down to tens of nanometers, which offers great opportunities for plasmonic waveguiding of optical fields with deep‐subwavelength confinement, coherence maintenance and low scattering losses. Based on nanowire plasmonic waveguides, a variety of applications ranging from plasmonic couplers, interferometers, resonators to photon emitters have been reported in recent years. In this article, significant progresses in these nanowire plasmonic waveguides, circuits and devices are reviewed. Future outlook and challenges are also discussed.     

Gain-assisted optical switching in plasmonic nanocavities

A plasmonic cavity filled with active material is proposed to explain optical switching. Optical properties, including transmission, response time, and field distribution of on/off state, are numerically investigated. We demonstrate that such a gain-assisted plasmonic structure can achieve optical switching in the nan- odomain and shorten the switching time to the subpicosecond level. Our results indicate the potential application of the proposed structure in optical communication and photonic integrated circuits.     

Resistive switching mechanism of Ag/ZrO2:Cu/Pt memory cell

Resistive switching mechanism of zirconium oxide-based resistive random access memory (RRAM) devices composed of Cu-doped ZrO₂ film sandwiched between an oxidizable electrode and an inert electrode was investigated. The Ag/ZrO₂:Cu/Pt RRAM devices with crosspoint structure fabricated by e-beam evaporation and e-beam lithography show reproducible bipolar resistive switching. The linear I?CV relationship of low resistance state (LRS) and the dependence of LRS resistance (R _ON) and reset current (I _reset) on the set current compliance (I _comp) indicate that the observed resistive switching characteristics of the Ag/ZrO₂:Cu/Pt device should be ascribed to the formation and annihilation of localized conductive filaments (CFs). The physical origin of CF was further analyzed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). CFs were directly observed by cross-sectional TEM. According to EDS and elemental mapping analysis, the main chemical composition of CF is determined by Ag atoms, coming from the Ag top electrode. On the basis of these experiments, we propose that the set and reset process of the device stem from the electrochemical reactions in the zirconium oxide under different external electrical stimuli.     

Improvement of resistive switching fluctuations by using one step lift‐off process

Bipolar resistive switching characteristics are investigated in ZrO₂ containing Cu thin layer devices, particularly for the self‐isolated‐structure device fabricated by one step lift‐off process. Compared with the traditional‐structure device, the self‐isolated‐structure device shows more uniform resistive switching characteristics. This is because the isolation of each device cell has negligible influence on each other and thus mitigates possible crosstalk between each cell. These results suggest that the feasibility of good stabilization of the resistive switching parameters can be obtained through one step lift‐off process. (© 2015 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH &Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Enhanced Photoelectric and Photothermal Responses on Silicon Platform by Plasmonic Absorber and Omni‐Schottky Junction

Recent progresses in plasmon‐induced hot electrons open up the possibility to achieve photon harvesting beyond the fundamental limit imposed by band‐to‐band transitions in semiconductors. To obtain high efficiency, both the optical absorption and electron emission/collection are crucial factors that need to be addressed in the design of hot electron devices. Here, we demonstrate a photoresponse as high as 3.3mA/W at 1500nm on a silicon platform by plasmonic absorber (PA) and omni‐Schottky junction integrated photodetector, reverse biased at 5V and illuminated with 10mW. The PA fabricated on silicon consists of a monolayer of random Au nanoparticles (NPs), a wide‐band gap semiconductor (TiO₂) and an optically thick Au electrode, resulting in broadband near‐infrared (NIR) absorption and efficient hot‐electron transfer via an all‐around Schottky emission path. Meanwhile, time and spectral‐resolved photoresponse measurements reveal that embedded NPs with superior absorption resembling plasmonic local heating sources can transfer their energy to electricity via the photothermal mechanism, which until now has not been adequately assessed or rigorously differentiated from the photoelectric process in plasmon‐mediated photon harvesting nano‐systems.     

Searching for better plasmonic materials

Plasmonics is a research area merging the fields of optics and nanoelectronics by confining light with relatively large free‐space wavelength to the nanometer scale ‐ thereby enabling a family of novel devices. Current plasmonic devices at telecommunication and optical frequencies face significant challenges due to losses encountered in the constituent plasmonic materials. These large losses seriously limit the practicality of these metals for many novel applications. This paper provides an overview of alternative plasmonic materials along with motivation for each material choice and important aspects of fabrication. A comparative study of various materials including metals, metal alloys and heavily doped semiconductors is presented. The performance of each material is evaluated based on quality factors defined for each class of plasmonic devices. Most importantly, this paper outlines an approach for realizing optimal plasmonic material properties for specific frequencies and applications, thereby providing a reference for those searching for better plasmonic materials.     

铜掺杂氧化锌薄膜阻变特性的研究

以 ZnO：Al为底电极,Cu为顶电极,在同种工艺条件下分别制备了类电容结构的纯ZnO 阻变器件和ZnO：2%Cu阻变器件,分析比较了两种器件的典型I-V特性曲线、置位电压（V_Set）和复位电压（V_Reset）的分布范围、器件的耐久性。结果显示,ZnO：Cu阻变器件较纯ZnO阻变器件有更大的开关比和更稳定的循环性能。另外,研究了 ZnO：Cu阻变器件的阻变机理,通过对其I-V特性曲线分析得出以下结论：ZnO：Cu阻变器件在高阻态遵循空间电荷限制电流效应,低阻态符合欧姆定律。     

Tunable On‐Chip Sources with Aperiodic Metasurface

Surface plasmons show tremendous capability in integrated communication, quantum computing and sensing. Excitations and manipulations of surface plasmons are essential in developing integrated photonic devices. Here, a systematic study of tunable emission of surface plasmons with an eightfold quasicrystal metasurface, which acts as an on‐chip source, is presented. It is shown that the quasicrystal structure can switch on or off the surface plasmons propagation channels in the desired direction. Meanwhile, such a quasicrystal structure can be polarization‐dependent or polarization‐independent based on different constituent slit pairs. The proposed quasicrystal design provides more freedom for steering surface plasmons in the launching process. Thus, it may significantly simplify the design and fabrication of integrated plasmonic devices.     

Top electrode material related bipolar memory and unipolar threshold resistance switching in amorphous Ta2O5 films

Tantalum oxide (Ta₂O₅) is one of the most studied materials for its stable resistance switching and potential application in nonvolatile memory devices. Top electrode and essential switching material are two critical points dominating its switching characteristics. Here, Ta₂O₅ films of amorphous nature (a-Ta₂O₅) with tunable thicknesses were made by changing the applied voltage during anodic oxidation of Ta-metal foils. The resistance-switching behavior of an a-Ta₂O₅ film in a metal/a-Ta₂O₅/Ta configuration was investigated by using a sputtered W or Ag metal film as the top electrode. The unipolar threshold switching phenomenon was observed using W as top electrode (W_TE), while bipolar switching behaviors were achieved using active Ag metal as top electrode (Ag_TE). The thickness of the a-Ta₂O₅ film shows an obvious effect on the SET voltage in a W_TE/a-Ta₂O₅/Ta device. The interfacial redox reaction induced formation of more conductive Ta-rich suboxide and the Joule heating effect are proposed to contribute to the unipolar threshold switching behavior. It is also suggested that the bipolar switching could have resulted from the electrochemical reaction-induced dissolution and growth of Ag conducting channels inside the Ta₂O₅ films.     

High optical performance and practicality of active plasmonic devices based on rhombohedral BiFeO3

First principles calculations of electronic and optical properties of multiferroic oxide BiFeO₃ are used in combination with a plasmonic device model of optical switch to show that a BiFeO₃ based device can have much better performance than devices based on existing materials. This arises from the combination of octahedral tilts, ferroelectricity and G‐type antiferromagnetism in BiFeO₃ leading to a strong dependence of the optical refractive indices on the orientation with respect to the polarization. A prototype of a plasmonic resonator with an R‐BFO thin film layer is used as an example and shows excellent switch and modulation responses. The proposed approach provides potential opportunities to develop high performance nanophotonic devices for optical communication.     

Giant enhancement of second-harmonic generation from a nanocavity metasurface

Nonlinear plasmonic metasurfaces are compatible with complementary metal oxide semiconductor technology and highly promising for on-chip optical switching and modulations and nanoscale frequency conversions. However, the low nonlinearoptical response of metasurface devices limits their practical applications. To circumvent this constraint, we propose the design of a nanocavity plasmonic metasurface, in which the strong light localization in the nanocavity can be used to boost the efficiency of second-harmonic generation. Compared with the single-layer counterpart, experimental results show that the intensity of the second-harmonic waves in the nanocavity metasurface is enhanced by ~790 times. The proposed nanocavity plasmonic metasurfaces in this work may open new routes for developing highly efficient nonlinear metacrystals for on-chip nonlinear sources,nonlinear image encryption, information processing, and so on.     

Structure Dependence of Fe‐Co Hydroxides on Fe/Co Ratio and Their Application for Supercapacitors

Fe‐Co hydroxides with different Fe/Co atomic ratios grown on nickel foams are synthesized by one‐step electrochemical deposition. The prepared samples are characterized by X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. It was found that the influence of initial Fe/Co ratios in the precursor solutions on the structure and electrochemical performance of electrodeposited products is significant. Fe(OH)₃ shows particle shape with average diameter of 200 nm. With addition of Co ions, frame‐like structure consisting of smaller particles is formed for Fe‐Co hydroxides. Based on the morphology of Co(OH)₂, it is deduced that Co(OH)₂ serves as a network former constructing a tridimensional frame network structure. Fe‐Co hydroxide with Fe/Co ratio of 1:1 exhibits two types of structure features: nanoflake‐like network structure overall and nanoparticle structure with numerous mesoporous microscopically. As the supercapacitor electrode materials, the as‐prepared Fe‐Co hydroxide electrode with Fe/Co ratio of 1:1 exhibits highest specific capacitance of 2255.6 F g^?1 at the current density of 1 A g^?1 and also shows good cycling performance of 73.5% capacity retention at current density of 10 A g^?1 after 2000 cycles. This work provides a facile method to produce promising Fe‐Co hydroxide electrode materials with high performance for supercapacitors.     

Broadly tunable one-way terahertz plasmonic waveguide based on nonreciprocal surface magneto plasmons

One-way-propagating broadly tunable terahertz plasmonic waveguide at a subwavelength scale is proposed based on a metal-dielectric-semiconductor structure. Unlike other one-way plasmonic devices that are based on interference effects of surface plasmons, the proposed one-way device is based on nonreciprocal surface magneto plasmons under an external magnetic field. Theoretical and simulation results demonstrate that the one-way-propagating frequency band can be broadly tuned by the external magnetic fields. The proposed concept can be used to realize various high performance tunable plasmonic devices such as isolators, switches and splitters for ultracompact integrated plasmonic circuits.     

Induced transparency in nanoscale plasmonic resonator systems

An optical effect analogous to electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) is observed in nanoscale plasmonic resonator systems. The system consists of a slot cavity as well as plasmonic bus and resonant waveguides, where the phase-matching condition of the resonant waveguide is tunable for the generation of an obvious EIT-like coupled resonator-induced transparency effect. A dynamic theory is utilized to exactly analyze the influence of physical parameters on transmission characteristics. The transparency effect induced by coupled resonance may have potential applications for nanoscale optical switching, nanolaser, and slow-light devices in highly integrated optical circuits.     

Correlation between crystallinity and resistive switching behavior of sputtered WO3 thin films

The as-deposited WO₃ thin films were post-annealed at different temperatures (300 °C and 600 °C) in air to investigate a correlation between crystallinity and switching behavior of WO₃ thin films. Associating the results of XRD, FTIR, XPS and FESEM measurements, the annealing-caused crystallinity change contributes to the variation of the switching behaviors of the WO₃ thin films. The as-deposited WO₃ films with low crystalline structure are preferred for random Ag conducting path, resulting in large switching ratio but fluctuating I–V hysteresis, whereas the annealed WO₃ films with crystallized compact structure limits Ag conducting path, favoring the stable I–V hysteresis but small switching ratio. It is therefore concluded that electrochemical redox reaction-controlled resistance switching depends not only on electrode materials (inert and reactive electrodes) but also on crystallinity of host oxide.     

Ultrahigh‐Density Plasmonic‐Nanoparticle‐Sensitized Semiconductor Photocatalysts Profit from Cooperative Light Harvesting and Charge Separation Processes: Experiments,Simulations, and Multifunctional Plasmonics

Here, a controlled synthesis of remarkable 3D photocatalysts is presented that is composed of ultrahigh‐density unaggregated plasmonic Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) chemically bound to vertically aligned ZnO nanorod arrays (ZNA) through bifunctional molecular linkers. Experimental probes and electromagnetic simulations of electron transfer and localized plasmonic coupling processes are exploited to gain insight into the underlying light‐irradiation‐induced interactions in the 3D ZNA–AuNPs photocatalysts. Highly dense AuNPs on ZNA surfaces act as sinks for the storage of UV‐generated electrons, which promote the separation of charge carriers and create numerous photocatalytic reaction centers. Furthermore, 3D finite‐difference time domain simulation indicates that significant visible light confinement and enhancement around the ZNA–AuNPs interfacial plasmon “hot spots” contribute to efficient conversion of light energy to electron‐hole pairs. Significantly, in comparison with the bare ZNA, the 10‐nm‐sized AuNPs‐decorated ZNA exhibits 10.6‐fold enhanced photoreaction rate in the entire UV–vis region. Moreover, various novel hybrid structures based on the plasmonic AuNPs and diverse nanostructures (films, powdered nanorods, mesoporous, and nanotubes) or functional materials (multiferroic BiFeO₃, CuInGaSe₂ absorber layers, and photoactive TiO₂) are successfully constructed using the present synthesis methodology. It may stimulate the progress in materials science toward the synthesis of multifunctional plasmonic heterostructures or devices.