Spectral characteristics of transmission and reflection of photonic-crystal layers containing active dielectric and nanoscale metallic rods

The optical properties of artificial two-dimensional photonic crystals containing various components are studied theoretically and using numerical modeling. The main optical characteristics, such as spectra of transmission and reflection, allowing evaluation of gain properties of a photonic crystal made of neodymium-doped glass, are studied in detail. It is shown that the threshold conditions for oscillation in the studied structures can be achieved via proper choice of their optical characteristics, which allows one to formulate the technical specifications for their manufacturing. Spectral characteristics of photonic crystals containing nanoscale silver rods embedded in a dielectric matrix are studied. Their prospective use as optical filters and polarizers is substantiated. The investigation is conducted using the method of field expansion in terms of plane waves.     

Polarization control over electric and magnetic dipole resonances of dielectric nanoparticles on metallic films

We reveal unusually strong polarization sensitivity of electric and magnetic dipole resonances of high‐index dielectric nanoparticles placed on a metallic film. By employing dark‐field spectroscopy, we observe the polarization‐controlled transformation from high‐Q magnetic‐dipole scattering to broadband suppression of scattering associated with the electric dipole mode, and show numerically that it is accompanied by a strong enhancement of the respective fields by the nanoparticle. Our experimental data for silicon nanospheres are in an excellent agreement with both analytical calculations based on Green's function approach and the full‐wave numerical simulations. Our findings further substantiate dielectric nanoparticles as strong candidates for many applications in enhanced sensing, spectroscopy and nonlinear processes at the nanoscale.

     

Light transmission coefficients by subwavelength aluminum gratings with dielectric layers

Spectral positions of plasmon resonances related to boundaries between a thin aluminum layer and dielectrics (air, glass, VDF–TrFE 65/35 ferroelectric copolymer, and indium tin oxide (ITO)) have been determined in the transmission spectra of aluminum gratings of three types with 30 × 30 μm² dimensions and 350-, 400-, and 450-nm line periods. Experimental results agree well with spectral positions of plasmon resonances calculated for the normal incidence of TM-polarized light. In addition, maximum values of transmission coefficients in the region of λ ≈ 900–950 nm have been determined for glass–Al–copolymer and glass–ITO–Al–copolymer structures. These values are close to 100%, which shows that the effective optical aperture is two times greater than the geometric areas of slits.     

一维金属光栅的透射光学特性

利用时域有限差分法模拟了一维金属光栅的透射光场的分布及光栅厚度等因素对透射光谱的影响.结果表明:特定波长的光通过金属光栅中的亚波长狭缝时有异常大的透过率增强.分析其物理起源,认为是类FabryPerot(FP)腔作用的结果.基底介电常量对类FP腔长度的调制导致了对透射光谱的影响.金属光栅表面激发的表面等离子体激元波与多缝干涉一样,对透射光谱有一定的影响,但不是形成增强的原因 关键词： 金属光栅 透射光学特性     

Plasmon spectroscopy of metallic nanoparticles above flat dielectric substrates

We numerically analyze the spectral properties of localized plasmon resonances in metal nanoparticles when these are above a dielectric substrate. This analysis is performed as a function of the various parameters involved in the problem (relative optical properties, particle-substrate separation, angle of incidence, etc.). It can be shown that from the spectral behavior of the resonance in the far field, information about particle near-field interactions can be obtained.     

Optical properties of metals with inhomogeneously heated electrons

We propose a new approach for describing the optical properties of metals with inhomogeneously heated electrons in the skin layer. The absorption coefficient and phase shift of the reflected wave, which are not described by the usual Fresnel formulas, were found. Talk presented at the oral issue of J. Russ. Laser Res. dedicated to the memory of Professor Vladimir A. Isakov, Professor Alexander S. Shumovsky, and Professor Andrei V. Vinogradov held in Moscow February 21–22, 2008.     

Interaction of an intense laser field with a dielectric containing metallic nanoparticles

In order to understand the role played by nanodefects in optical breakdown of dielectrics, the interaction of an intense laser field with model dielectric samples containing metallic nanoparticles is studied both theoretically and experimentally. A theoretical study of the metal conduction electrons dynamics in the laser field predicts an efficient injection of carriers from the metallic inclusion to the conduction band of the dielectric, which leads to a strong local increase of the optical absorption in the initially transparent matrix. This prediction is tested experimentally by using time-resolved spectral interferometry to measure excitation densities as a function of the laser intensity in silica samples doped with gold nanoparticles, which are compared with similar measurements in pure silica. PACS 61.80.Ba; 42.70.-a; 78.47.+p     

Optical transmission through metallic nanoslit with symmetric or asymmetric surface-relief profile

The enhanced optical transmission through metallic nanoslit with symmetric or asymmetric surface-relief profile is investigated based on rigorous electromagnetic theory by using the boundary integral method (BIM). Metallic nanoslits with different geometrical structure surfaces: asymmetric sinusoid surface-relief profile and symmetric sinusoid surface-relief profiles, are investigated. The transmission spectra are calculated and the corresponding intensity distributions of magnetic fields at the resonant wavelengths are numerically emulated and illuminated. The numerical results show that there are two transmission peaks - attributed to the nanoslit geometrical structure and the metallic material, respectively, and the normalized transmittance through the conventionally rectangular nanoslit will be enhanced largely when its surface profile is replaced by the smoothly surface-relief shape of the metallic nanoslit. It is indicated that anomalously high transmission is quite sensitive to the surface geometrical profile of the nanoslit and the incident direction of the light wave.     

Optical bistability of subwavelength metallic film coated by Kerr dielectric gratings

We studied the optical bistability of subwavelength metallic film coated by Kerr dielectric gratings numerically. It is found that the effect of optical bistability in the structure is explained by the excitations of the coupled surface plasmon polaritons at the coated metallic films. The effect of thickness of the metallic films on bistability loop is analyzed in detail, and the authors attribute the change of the bistability loop to the lifetime of the coupled surface plasmon polaritons.     

Resonant terahertz transmission in subwavelength metallic hole arrays of sub-skin-depth thickness

We study surface-plasmon-enhanced terahertz transmission through subwavelength metallic hole arrays of sub-skin-depth thickness. Dynamic evolution of surface-plasmon resonance in terms of array thickness is characterized by use of terahertz time-domain spectroscopy in the frequency range 0.1-4.5 THz. A critical thickness of lead array film is observed, above which surface-plasmon coupling of terahertz pulses begins and is enhanced rapidly as the array thickness is increased toward the skin depth. The experimental results indicate that high-efficiency extraordinary terahertz transmission can be achieved at an array thickness of only one third of skin depth.     

Extraordinary optical transmission for TE wave through metallic sub-wavelength grating with slits filled with dielectric

A metallic sub-wavelength grating with slits filled with dielectric was proposed to achieve broadband and enhanced Extraordinary Optical Transmission (EOT) for Transverse Electric (TE) wave. The physical mechanism for the improvements of the transmission spectrum was also revealed. It was found that the Fabry–Perot cavity resonance in the grating slits was the cause of the enhancement of the EOT and the waveguide modes theory was the fundamental mechanism for the broadened bandwidth of the transmission.     

Optical three-dimensional shape analysis of metallic nanoparticles after laser-induced deformation

The 3D shape of Ag nanoparticles in glass irradiated by fs laser pulses is investigated by optical spectroscopy. It is shown that in general spheroids are produced with their symmetry axis oriented along the direction of the linear laser polarization. Depending on the actual irradiation conditions, oblate or prolate spheroids are obtained. The halo of small Ag clusters and Ag ions around the reshaped particles causes a redshift of the surface plasmon resonances via refractive index increase.     

High transmission with narrow bandwidth of metallic defect mode in 1-D dielectric photonic crystals

Enhanced transmission peaks can be obtained in a dielectric photonic crystal with metal film defect. These peaks occur only in the band gaps, and their heights decrease sharply when they deviate from the band gaps. Theoretical analysis shows that, since the metal film defect mode possesses very high density of mode, high transmission of light in particular band can be achieved even by a metal “block” while high absorption of the light in other bands still exists. The physical mechanism of this phenomenon is essentially different from the resonant tunneling effect of layered metallic films. Since metal has high reflection and strong absorption of the light wave without being enhanced, so, basing on this mechanism, a narrow bandwidth filter with high transmission in UV range and suppression in while the visible, infrared, and even microwave range can be achieved.     

Optical properties of thin metallic film/dielectric superlattices constrained by the size effect

The dispersion relation of the 1D Bloch wave vector accompanied with an incident transverse electromagnetic wave on thin metallic film/dielectric superlattices is crucial to its optical properties. The interference of excited longitudinal plasmons between neighbouring metallic films induces a collective oscillation of the whole superlattice causing coupled plasmon polariton waves. A calculation of the optical reflectance manipulated by the size effect on the dielectric constant induces more allowable bands at < as the specularity parameters p and q decrease, meanwhile the cut-off frequency for band rejection also shows a blue shift.     

Optical transmission through metal/dielectric multilayer films perforated with periodic subwavelength slits

The transmission of p-polarized plane wave through Ag/SiO₂ multilayer films perforated with periodic subwavelength air slits is investigated by using the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. The results show that the optical transmission property is mediated by the interference among the propagating coupled-SPP modes along the lateral direction inside the SiO₂ layers and the conditions of Fabry-Pérot-like resonance along the longitudinal direction together. When some geometric parameters are suitably initialized, the high transmission peaks can split into more peaks as the functional layer (metal/dielectric/metal sandwich stack) number increases, and the wavelength of the same-order transmission peak exhibits a red shift as the grating period increases.     

Light transmission through a stack of right- and left-hand cholesteric liquid crystal layers with indefinite dielectric and magnetic permittivities. II. Optical diode

Optical properties of a stack of layers of right- and left-hand cholesteric liquid crystal with locally indefinite dielectric and magnetic permittivities are investigated. The problem is solved by the modified Ambartsumian’s layer addition method. The peculiarities of nonreciprocity of this system are studied and it is shown that at certain values of system parameters it can work as a practically perfect optical diode.     

二维亚波长金属小孔阵列的透射光增强效应

对金属薄膜上的二维亚波长小孔阵列的光透射增强现象进行了数值模拟，结果显示不仅实际金属薄膜上的小孔阵列结构具有透射增强效应，理想导体薄膜的相同结构也具有透射增强效应，但没有实际金属薄膜的增强明显-通过分析指出，这种小孔阵列的光透射增强效应是一种复杂的波导耦合效应-与金属薄膜上的表面电流一样，表面等离激元波具有将入射光能量从金属表面向小孔转移的作用，但不是透射增强的本质原因- 关键词： 表面电流 共振耦合 透射增强 表面等离激元     

Optical properties of ZnTe layers formed over surface-modified ZnSe substrates

Heterolayers of zinc telluride were created using the isovalent replacement method over the low-resistive mono-crystalline substrates of zinc selenide, doped with the isovalent tellurium impurity. It was found that the surface structure of the heterolayer is being determined by the treatment of the substrate layers and inherits its properties, namely mirror-smooth or matte (modified) surfaces. The latter type corresponds to the quantum-scale surface formations responsible for the wide unstructured spectral band with photon energies significantly exceeding the bandwidth of the materials studied.