Surface plasmon tunneling through a touching gold nanocylinder array on a thin gold film

The optical property of a structure composed of a touching gold nanocylinder array on a thin gold film is investigated using finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. It is discovered that the transmission behavior can be tuned by tuning the geometry of the structure. As the film thickness increases, the transmission mode associated with the localized surface plasmon resonance blue shifts accompanied with a decrease of magnitude and full width at half maximum, and a second transmission appear due to the interaction of the plasmons on the cylinder with their images induced on the film. The localized waveguide resonance diminishes but the second resonance peak is intensified and broadened noticeably with the separation of the cylinder array and film increase. The cylinder radius size influences the localized surface plasmon resonance mode obviously. These results may be helpful for the design of a novel optical device.     

Surface plasmon sensor with gold film deposited on a two-dimensional colloidal crystal

A sensor based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) of plasmonic crystals fabricated via a colloidal-crystal-assisted templating method is studied. Plasmonic crystals are prepared by depositing a thin gold (Au) layer onto a two-dimensional array of polystyrene spheres self-assembled on a quartz substrate. The enhanced transmission as a result of the SPR of Au plasmonic crystals, which are immersed in different ambient liquids, are measured and compared with that of polystyrene (PS) microsphere templates of different sizes, both before and after removal of Au nanoprisms formed on the quartz substrate through pores among the spheres. It is found that the measured sensitivities exhibit a linear dependence on the refractive index of the surrounding medium and are linked to coupling effects between SPRs on the corrugated Au film and nanoislands. The feasibility of the SPR system in molecular monolayer detection is further demonstrated through a formation of alkanethiolate self-assembled monolayers on the Au film surface, which causes a 4 nm red-shift of the main SPR. PACS  07.07.Df; 73.20.Mf; 78.66.-w; 81.16.Dn     

A novel plasmonic refractive index sensor based on gold/silicon complementary grating structure

A novel complementary grating structure is proposed for plasmonic refractive index sensing due to its strong resonance at near-infrared wavelength.The reflection spectra and the electric field distributions are obtained via the finite-difference time-domain method.Numerical simulation results show that multiple surface plasmon resonance modes can be excited in this novel structure.Subsequently,one of the resonance modes shows appreciable potential in refractive index sensing due to its wide range of action with the environment of the analyte.After optimizing the grating geometric variables of the structure,the designed structure shows the stable sensing performance with a high refractive index sensitivity of 1642 nm per refractive index unit(nm/RIU)and the figure of merit of 409 RIU^-1.The promising simulation results indicate that such a sensor has a broad application prospect in biochemistry.     

A high figure of merit localized surface plasmon sensor based on a gold nanograting on the top of a gold planar film

We investigate the sensitivity and figure of merit （FOM） of a localized surface plasmon （LSP） sensor with gold nanograting on the top of planar metallic film. The sensitivity of the localized surface plasmon sensor is 317 nm/RIU, and the FOM is predicted to be above 8, which is very high for a localized surface plasmon sensor. By employing the rigorous coupled-wave analysis （RCWA） method, we analyze the distribution of the magnetic field and find that the sensing property of our proposed system is attributed to the interactions between the localized surface plasmon around the gold nanostrips and the surface plasmon polarition on the surface of the gold planar metallic film. These findings are important for developing high FOM localized surface plasmon sensors.     

An acoustically enhanced gold film Raman sensor on a lithium niobate substrate

The surface enhanced Raman scattering effect has shown immense potential for detecting trace amounts of explosive vapor molecules. To date, efforts to produce a commercially available, reliable SERS sensor have been impeded by an inability to separate the electromagnetic enhancement produced by the metallic nanostructure from other signal enhancing effects. Here, we show a new Raman sensor that uses surface acoustic waves (SAWs) to produce controllable surface structures on gold films deposited on LiNbO₃ substrates that modulate the Raman signal of a target compound (thiophenol) adsorbed on the films. We demonstrate that this sensor can dynamically control the Raman signal simply by changing the SAW's amplitude, allowing the Raman signal enhancement factor to be directly measured with no variation in the concentration of the target compound. The physically adsorbed molecules can be removed from the sensor without physical cleaning or damage, making it possible to reuse it for real‐time Raman detection. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

介质填充型二次柱面等离激元透镜的亚波长聚焦

本文提出了一种亚波长聚焦的表面等离激元透镜,该透镜由二氧化硅填充金膜纳米狭缝阵列组成,金膜的出射表面为二次柱面.表面等离激元在狭缝入口处激发并沿狭缝传输,在狭缝出口转变为带有一定相位延迟的自由空间传播的光波.通过对透镜结构参数的控制,可以调节来自各狭缝的光波间的相对相位,使它们在设定的焦点处进行相长干涉,从而实现聚焦效果.本文用时域有限差分法数值计算了二次柱面等离激元透镜的聚焦特性.数值模拟结果表明,所设计的孔径为2μm的透镜,能够实现微米级焦距和焦深、且焦斑半高宽低至0.4倍波长的亚波长聚焦.该表面等离激元透镜结构简单紧凑、尺寸小,有利于光子器件的集成,在集成光学、光学微操纵、超分辩率成像、光存储、生化传感等相关领域有潜在的应用价值.     

Fabrication of a highly sensitive sensor electrode using a nano-gapped gold particle film

Controlling a gap between electrodes arranged in nanometer size has a great potential for a highly sensitive detection. We have successfully fabricated a sensor based on a nano-gapped gold particle film consisting of gold nanoparticle–alkylchain–gold nanoparticle repeated sequences in a straightforward manner. Here we report on its application to direct DNA analysis, enabling us to read out a specific complementary DNA through electronic protocols.     

A comprehensive first-principle study of borophene-based nano gas sensor with gold electrodes

Using density functional theory combined with nonequilibrium Green’s function method,the transport properties of borophene-based nano gas sensors with gold electrodes are calculated,and comprehensive understandings regarding the effects of gas molecules,MoS2 substrate and gold electrodes to the transport properties of borophene are made.Results show that borophene-based sensors can be used to detect and distinguish CO,NO,NO2 and NH3 gas molecules,MoS2 substrate leads to a nonlinear behavior on the current-voltage characteristic,and gold electrodes provide charges to borophene and form a potential barrier,which reduced the current values compared to the current of the systems without gold electrodes.Our studies not only provide useful information on the computationally design of borophene-based gas sensors,but also help understand the transport behaviors and underlying physics of 2D metallic materials with metal electrodes.     

A visible-near infrared tunable waveguide based on plasmonic gold nanoshell

A tunable plasmonic waveguide via gold nanoshells immerged in a silica base is proposed and simulated by using the finite difference time-domain （FDTD） method. For waveguides based on near-field coupling, transmission frequencies can be tuned in a wide region from 660 to 900 nm in wavelength by varying shell thicknesses. After exploring the steady distributions of electric fields in these waveguides, we find that their decay lengths are about 5.948-12.83 dB/1000 nm, which is superior to the decay length （8.947 dB/1000 nm） of a gold nanosphere plasmonic waveguide. These excellent tunability and transmittability are mainly due to the unique hollow structure. These gold nanoshell waveguides should be fabricated in laboratory.     

A theoretical and experimental study of the behaviour of a parametric array in a random medium

The fluctuations of a parametric signal in a random medium have been investigated. A theoretical expression for the mean square amplitude and phase fluctuations has been derived, by using the small perturbation method. A simplified version of the theoretical model, which predicts the axial amplitude fluctuations of the difference frequency signal, was computerized. Laboratory experiments were carried out in a heated tank in which the fluctuations of a parametric signal and a linearly generated signal were compared. A similar experiment was also carried out in an estuary. The experimental results obtained were consistent with the theoretical estimates.     

Patterning of thin tin oxide film with nano-size particle for two-dimensional micro-gas sensor array

Thin tin oxide film with nano-size particle was prepared on silicon substrate by hydrothermal synthetic method and successive sol–gel spin coating method. The fabrication method of tin oxide film with ultrafine nano-size crystalline structure was tried to be applied to fabrication of micro-gas sensor array on silicon substrate. The tin oxide film on silicon substrate was well patterned by chemical etching upto 5 μm width and showed very uniform flatness. The tin oxide film preparation method and patterning method were successfully applied to newly proposed two-dimensional micro-sensor fabrication.     

Combinatorial study of a gold nanoparticle infusion process in a polymer film

A novel two-step process is described for infusion of gold nanoparticles (5–20 nm typical diameter) into a polymer film. The technique is demonstrated for the first time in a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU). An amine-functional monomer, 2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate, and a free-radical photoinitiator are infused into the surface of the TPU, followed by photopolymerization. An amine-functional semi-interpenetrating network (SIPN) is created within a shallow (~100 μm) surface layer. In the second step, a gold salt, HAuCl₄·3H₂O, is infused into the SIPN from a ternary solvent mixture, and redox reaction with the immobilized amine functional groups produces Au⁰ nanoparticles. Combinatorial processing is conducted to visualize the interdependent effects of two variables, monomer soak time (t ₁) and gold salt solution soak time (t ₂). Combinatorial infusion is accomplished by creating orthogonal gradients in t ₁ and t ₂ in a square TPU plate, allowing examination of sample color, particle size, and polydispersity over a wide range of parameter space. Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) is employed as non-invasive means to characterize the Au⁰ particles at three locations in the plate. SAXS measurements are validated by TEM analysis of Au⁰ particle size in a reference sample. A rationale is developed for changing particle size and polydispersity through variation of simple process parameters.     

Tunability and linewidth sharpening of plasmon resonances on a periodic gold nanowire array coupled to a thin textured silver film

We theoretically study the plasmon mode spectrum of a multilayer structure consisting of a periodic gold nanowire array and a spatially separated thin silver film with periodic slits. Results show that the plasmon mode spectrum of the multilayer structure depends sensitively on the relative lateral displacement of the Au nanowire array with respect to the textured silver film. This is due to the interaction between the localized surface plasmon (LSP) of the nanowire array and the plasmon modes, including the horizontal LSP and the antisymmetric short-range surface plasmon polariton (SPP), of the textured thin silver film. The strong coupling between the LSP and the antisymmetric short-range SPP results in a redshifted plasmon resonance with a significantly narrow linewidth and a large electromagnetic field enhancement. Moreover, the lateral displacement also has a great influence on the spacer layer controlled dipole-surface interaction. Therefore, this relative lateral displacement provides an efficient way to tune the optical properties of the multilayer structure, and this kind of highly tunable nanostructure can be used as a tunable plasmonic filter or a substrate for LSPs sensor.     

Electromagnetic field distribution on a rough gold thin film: An experimental study as a function of the gold thickness

The electromagnetic field distribution on an illuminated rough gold surface has been investigated by apertureless scanning near-field optical microscopy. The sample consists of an alumina substrate with a variable gold coverage ranging from 0 to 30 monolayers (ML). For such small thicknesses, the metal layer is not continuous but exhibits a certain roughness. We have studied the influence of this thickness on the electromagnetic field localization on the surface. For a gold coverage smaller than 10 equivalent monolayers, the electromagnetic field is almost uniform on the surface. For 10 and 14 ML, the field becomes inhomogeneous and isolated, localized peaks start to be visible. The width of the peaks is smaller than 50 nm. Above 14 ML, strong variations are apparent everywhere on the sample. Their amplitude tends to saturate beyond 24 ML. A complete statistical study of the sample (standard deviation, Fourier analysis) is performed.     

Experimental and theoretical study of the cracking behavior of sol-gel-derived SiO2 film on InP substrate

In this paper, we study and characterize the cracking behavior of a sol-gel-derived amorphous silica film on a InP substrate. The sol-gel silica films are deposited by spin-coating and rapid thermal processing (RTP). It is observed that the volatility of the III-V semiconductor results in the cracking of the films when the annealing temperature is higher than 450 °C, and that the crack patterns are all parallel or perpendicular to 𘜄¢. The experimental results on the crack patterns in the sol-gel silica films are then theoretically analyzed. In addition, the critical thicknesses of the sol-gel films on InP are compared with those deposited on Si.     

A theoretical study on the melting of a finite slab with a pulsed laser

Calculations of the spatial and temporal temperature distributions in the molten layer thickness, the still solid part and in the backward surface of the finite slab were carried out during the irradiation with a pulsed laser. The two-dimensional Laplace integral transform technique has been applied to obtain the mathematical expressions for these temperature distributions and the molten layer thickness as a function of the melting time. The derivations have taken into account the temperature-dependent absorption coefficient of the irradiated surface and the cooling. As an illustrative example, computations were carried out on a finite aluminum (Al) target.     

A theoretical study on the magnetic structure in GdMn2

By making use of the calculated results of the electronic structure of d-electrons for YMn₂ in the tight-binding approximation, the sublattice moments of Mn atoms in the cubic Laves phase intermetallic compound GdMn₂ are shown to be canted in the opposite direction to that of the localised moments on Gd atoms and a possible spin arrangement in GdMn₂ is predicted.     

Numerical study of dumbbell-shaped gold nanoparticles using in plasmonic waveguides in near infra-red spectrums

In this paper, we investigated plasmonic waveguides in near infra-red spectrum using dumbbell-shaped gold nanoparticles. It is possible to shift localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) to the desired wavelength with proper geometrical properties. 3-D FDTD simulations are used to determine the set of geometrical parameters of nanoparticles to obtain LSPR at 1310 and 1550 nm. Employing different configuration of nanoparticles chains, we not only can design waveguides with better optical characteristics but also achieve the demultiplexing function in V-form arrays. The proposed nanoparticles show sharp resonance peak, 168 FWHM bandwidth for λ?=?1310, and 204 nm for λ?=?1550 nm. Linear chains of particles can transport the electromagnetic energy at λ?=?1310 nm, with transmission losses γ_L?=?3 dB/452 and γ_T?=?3 dB/446 nm and group velocities v_gL?=?0.336C₀ and v_gT?=?0.256C₀ for longitudinal and transverse polarizations, respectively, where C₀ is the speed of light in the vacuum. At λ?=?1550 nm, γ_L?=?3 dB/490, γ_T?=?3 dB/604, v_gL?=?0.382C₀ and v_gT?=?0.260C₀. Moreover, we attained 8.13 as minimum ratio of averaged electric field intensity and 36.8 as minimum ratio of averaged Poynting vector as a function of position between two ports in demultiplexing function.     

A monolithic resonant terahertz sensor element comprising a metamaterial absorber and micro‐bolometer

In this article a monolithic resonant terahertz sensor element with a noise equivalent power superior to that of typical commercial room temperature single pixel terahertz detectors and capable of close to real time read‐out rates is presented. The detector is constructed via the integration of a metamaterial absorber and a micro‐bolometer sensor. An absorption magnitude of 57% at 2.5 THz, a minimum NEP of and a thermal time constant of 68 ms for the sensor are measured. As a demonstration of detector capability, it is employed in a practical Nipkow terahertz imaging system. The monolithic resonant terahertz detector is readily scaled to focal plane array formats by adding standard read‐out and addressing circuitry enabling compact, low‐cost terahertz imaging.     

He原子与O2分子相互作用势及碰撞微分截面的研究

本文用量子力学从头算方法深入研究了He原子与O2分子的相互作用势,选定CCSD(T)/6-311++G(3df,2pd)方法和基组,同时采用了Boys和Bernardi提出的Full Couterpoise方法消除了计算中的基组重叠误差(BSSE),得出了该体系的各向异性相互作用势的单点能数据,通过拟合得到了较为准确的He-O2体系相互作用势的解析表达式.采用精确度较高的密耦(Close-Coupling)近似方法,计算了He-O2碰撞体系的碰撞激发微分截面,计算得到的微分截面数据与实验值符合较好,并得出了不同碰撞能量时He原子与O2分子的碰撞的微分截面的规律.