Arbitrary super surface modes bounded by multilayered metametal

The dispersion of the fundamental super mode confined along the boundary between a multilayer metal-insulator (MMI) stack and a dielectric coating is theoretically analyzed and compared to the dispersion of surface waves on a single metal-insulator (MI) boundary. Based on the classical Kretschmann setup, the MMI system is experimentally tested as an anisotropic material to exhibit plasmonic behavior and a candidate of “metametal” to engineer the preset surface plasmon frequency of conventional metals for optical sensing applications. The conditions to obtain artificial surface plasmon frequency are thoroughly studied, and the tuning of surface plasmon frequency is verified by electromagnetic modeling and experiments. The design rules drawn in this paper would bring important insights into applications such as optical lithography, nano-sensing and imaging

Tuning Metamaterials for Applications at DUV Wavelengths

The unique properties of metamaterials, namely, their negative refractive index, permittivity, or permeability, have gained much recent attention. Research into these materials has led to the realization of a host of applications that may be useful to enhance optical nanolithography. A selection of materials has been examined both experimentally and theoretically to verify their support of surface plasmons, or lack thereof, in the DUV spectrum via the attenuated total reflection (ATR) method using the Kretschmann configuration. At DUV wavelengths, materials that were previously useful at mid-UV and longer wavelengths no longer act as metamaterials. Structured materials comprised of alternating layers of aluminum and aluminum oxide (Al2O3), as well as some other absorption-free dielectrics, exhibit metamaterial behavior, as do some elemental materials such as aluminum. These elemental and structured materials exhibit the best properties for use in plasmonic nanolithographic applications. Therefore, a simulator was created to examine material and thickness combinations to generate a tunable metamaterial for use in the DUV. A method for performing plasmonic interference lithography with this metamaterial has been proposed, with calculations showing the potential for half-pitch imaging resolution of 25 nm

Plasmonic Materials For Use In Alternative Approaches To DUV Nanolithography

Degradation in image contrast becomes a concern at higher numerical apertures (NA) due to mask induced polarization effects. Rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) was used to simulate the polarization of radiation by the photomask. The results show that higher NA leads to greater polarization effects in all cases. In general, materials with higher refractive indices and lower extinction coefficients tend to pass more of the TM polarization state, whereas materials with lower refractive indices and a relatively wider range of extinction coefficients pass more TE polarized radiation. These properties can provide new design considerations for the development of next generation masking materials. The unique properties of metamaterials, namely their negative refractive index, permittivity, and permeability, have gained much recent attention. Research into these materials has led to the realization of a host of applications that may be useful to enhance optical nanolithography, such as a high pass pupil filter based on an induced transmission filter design, or an optical superlens. A large selection of materials has been examined both experimentally and theoretically through wavelength to verify their support of surface plasmons, or lack thereof, in the DUV spectrum via the attenuated total reflection (ATR) method using the Kretschmann configuration. At DUV wavelengths, materials that were previously useful at mid-UV and longer wavelengths no longer act as metamaterials. Composites bound between metallic aluminum and Al2O3 exhibit metamaterial behavior, as do other materials such as tin and indium. This provides for real opportunities to explore the potential of the use of such materials for image enhancement with easily obtainable materials at desirable lithographic wavelengths. A software program was created to evaluate possible metal-insulator material stack combinations to find materials with a suitable surface plasmon dispersion for the DUV. The resulting materials are a comprised of a multilayer Al-Al2O3-Al stack as well as a simple Al-photoresist stack. These stacks were then fabricated, and used to image the surface plasmons generated by this metamaterial using plasmonic interference lithography, a technique very similar to 2-beam interference lithography used frequently in the Nanolithography Research Labs, with resolution down to an 80nm period

Subwavelength Surface Plasmons Based on Novel Structures and Metamaterials

With the rapid development of nanofabrication technology and powerful computational tools over the last decade, nanophotonics has enjoyed tremendous innovation and found wide applications in ultrahigh-speed data transmission, sensitive optical detection, manipulation of ultra-small objects, and visualization of nanoscale patterns. Surface plasmon-based photonics (or plasmonics) merges electronics and photonics at the nanoscale, creating the ability to combine the superior technical advantages of photonics and electronics on the same chip. Plasmonics focuses on the innovation of photonic devices by exploiting the optical property of metals. In particular, the oscillation of free electrons, when properly driven by electromagnetic waves, would form plasmon-polaritons in the vicinity of a metal surface and potentially result in extreme light confinement, which may beat the diffraction limit faced by conventional photonic devices and enable greatly enhanced light-matter interactions at the deep subwavelength scale. The objective of this dissertation is to develop subwavelength or deep subwavelength plasmonic waveguides and explore their integration on conventional dielectric platforms for multiple applications. Three novel structures (or mechanisms) are employed to develop and integrate nanoplasmonic waveguides; each consists of one part of the dissertation. The first part of this dissertation covers the design, fabrication, and demonstration of two-dimensional and three-dimensional metal-insulator-metal plasmonic couplers for mode transformation between photonic and nanoplasmonic domains on the silicon-on-insulator platform. In particular, deep subwavelength plasmonic modes under 100-nm are achieved via end-fire coupling and adiabatic mode transformation at telecom wavelengths. The second part studies metallic gratings as spoof plasmonic waveguides hosting deep subwavelength surface propagation modes. Metallic gratings under different dielectric coatings are numerically investigated for terahertz and gigahertz regions. The third part proposes, explores, and experimentally demonstrates the metametal for super surface wave excitation based on multilayered metal-insulator stacks, where the dispersion of the supported surface modes can be engineered by insulator dopant films in a given metal. The final part discusses the potential applications of active plasmonics for optical sensing, modulation and photovoltaics

Сенсорні прилади на основі поверхневого плазмонного резонансу

В монографії викладені матеріали, присвячені актуальному питанню розгляду тенденцій розвитку високочутливих приладів на основі фізичного явища поверхневого плазмонного резонансу (ППР). Наведена класифікація та розглянуто існуючі сенсори аналітичних приладів та визначено, що оптичні сенсори є більш чутливими до досліджуваних речовин. Значну увагу приділено питанням підвищення точності та чутливості приладів на основі ППР, а також галузям застосування цих приладів. Переваги цих приладів наступні: можливість вивчення процесів молекулярної взаємодії в мікронних шарах у реальному масштабі часу; малий об’єм проби досліджуваної речовини (менше 10 мкл); відсутність потреби у маркерах та флуоресцентних мітках для досліджуваної речовини (аналіту), що обумовило широке використання цього приладу в світі. Наведені технічні характеристики розроблених в Україні сенсорних приладів на явищі ППР та показані напрямки їх застосування. Монографія призначена для наукових та інженерно-технічних співробітників, що займаються розробкою та експлуатацією сенсорних приладів, робота яких заснована на вимірюванні оптичних характеристик рідких та газоподібних речовин