33 research outputs found
Colloidal Plasmonic Titanium Nitride Nanoparticles: Properties and Applications
Optical properties of colloidal plasmonic titanium nitride nanoparticles are
examined with an eye on their photothermal via transmission electron microscopy
and optical transmittance measurements. Single crystal titanium nitride cubic
nanoparticles with an average size of 50 nm exhibit plasmon resonance in the
biological transparency window. With dimensions optimized for efficient
cellular uptake, the nanoparticles demonstrate a high photothermal conversion
efficiency. A self-passivating native oxide at the surface of the nanoparticles
provides an additional degree of freedom for surface functionalization.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, 1 abstract figur
Temperature-dependent optical properties of plasmonic titanium nitride thin films
Due to their exceptional plasmonic properties, noble metals such as gold and
silver have been the materials of choice for the demonstration of various
plasmonic and nanophotonic phenomena. However, noble metals' softness, lack of
tailorability and low melting point along with challenges in thin film
fabrication and device integration have prevented the realization of real-life
plasmonic devices.In the recent years, titanium nitride (TiN) has emerged as a
promising plasmonic material with good metallic and refractory (high
temperature stable) properties. The refractory nature of TiN could enable
practical plasmonic devices operating at elevated temperatures for energy
conversion and harsh-environment industries such as gas and oil. Here we report
on the temperature dependent dielectric functions of TiN thin films of varying
thicknesses in the technologically relevant visible and near-infrared
wavelength range from 330 nm to 2000 nm for temperatures up to 900 0C using
in-situ high temperature ellipsometry. Our findings show that the complex
dielectric function of TiN at elevated temperatures deviates from the optical
parameters at room temperature, indicating degradation in plasmonic properties
both in the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constant. However, quite
strikingly, the relative changes of the optical properties of TiN are
significantly smaller compared to its noble metal counterparts. Using
simulations, we demonstrate that incorporating the temperature-induced
deviations into the numerical models leads to significant differences in the
optical responses of high temperature nanophotonic systems. These studies hold
the key for accurate modeling of high temperature TiN based optical elements
and nanophotonic systems for energy conversion, harsh-environment sensors and
heat-assisted applications.Comment: 23 pages, 9 figures and 5 table
Quasi-coherent thermal emitter based on refractory plasmonic materials
The thermal emission of refractory plasmonic metamaterial - a titanium
nitride 1D grating - is studied at high operating temperature (540 {\deg}C). By
choosing a refractory material, we fabricate thermal gratings with high
brightness that are emitting mid-infrared radiation centered around 3 m.
We demonstrate experimentally that the thermal excitation of plasmon-polariton
on the surface of the grating produces a well-collimated beam with a spatial
coherence length of 32{\lambda} (angular divergence of 1.8{\deg}) which is
quasi-monochromatic with a full width at half maximum of 70 nm. These
experimental results show good agreement with a numerical model based on a
two-dimensional full-wave analysis in frequency domain.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure
Nanoparticle Plasmonics with Transition Metal Nitrides
Promising designs and experimental realizations of devices with unusual properties in the field of plasmonics have attracted great deal of attention over the past few decades. However, high expectations on realized technology products have not been met so far. The main complication is the absence of robust, high performance, low cost plasmonic materials that can be easily integrated into already established technologies such as microelectronics. This research provides a comparison of alternative plasmonic materials for localized surface plasmon applications and focuses on transition metal nitrides, in particular, titanium nitride, which has recently been shown to be a high performance plasmonic material that could replace and even outperform gold in various plasmonic devices. As a material compatible with biological environments and the semiconductor industry, titanium nitride possesses superior properties compared to noble metals such as high temperature durability, chemical stability, corrosion resistance, low cost and mechanical hardness. It has been shown that titanium nitride nanoparticles are better alternatives to Au nanoparticles for local heating applications such as thermal therapy, solar thermophotovoltaics and heat assisted magnetic recording
Effect of particle properties and light polarization on the plasmonic resonances in metallic nanoparticles
The resonance behavior of localized surface plasmons in silver and gold nanoparticles was studied in the visible and near-infrared regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Arrays of nano-sized gold (Au) and silver (Ag) particles with different properties were produced with electron-beam lithography technique over glass substrates. The effect of the particle size, shape variations, period, thickness, metal type, substrate type and sulfidation were studied via transmission and reflectance measurements. The results are compared with the theoretical calculations based on the DDA simulations performed by software developed in this study. We propose a new intensity modulation technique based on localized surface plasmons in nanoparticles with asymmetric shapes. (C) 2010 Optical Society of Americ
Unidirectional Spaser in Symmetry-Broken Plasmonic Core-Shell Nanocavity
The spaser, a quantum amplifier of surface plasmons by stimulated emission of radiation, is recognized as a coherent light source capable of confining optical fields at subwavelength scale. The control over the directionality of spasing has not been addressed so far, especially for a single-particle spasing nanocavity where optical feedback is solely provided by a plasmon resonance. In this work we numerically examine an asymmetric spaser - a resonant system comprising a dielectric core capped by a metal semishell. The proposed spaser emits unidirectionally along the axis of the semishell; this directionality depends neither on the incident polarization nor on the incident angle of the pump. The spasing efficiency of the semishell-capped resonator is one order of magnitude higher than that in the closed core-shell counterpart. Our calculations indicate that symmetry breaking can serve as a route to create unidirectional, highly intense, single-particle, coherent light sources at subwavelength scale
Unidirectional Spaser in Symmetry-Broken Plasmonic Core-Shell Nanocavity
The spaser, a quantum amplifier of surface plasmons by stimulated emission of radiation, is recognized as a coherent light source capable of confining optical fields at subwavelength scale. The control over the directionality of spasing has not been addressed so far, especially for a single-particle spasing nanocavity where optical feedback is solely provided by a plasmon resonance. In this work we numerically examine an asymmetric spaser - a resonant system comprising a dielectric core capped by a metal semishell. The proposed spaser emits unidirectionally along the axis of the semishell; this directionality depends neither on the incident polarization nor on the incident angle of the pump. The spasing efficiency of the semishell-capped resonator is one order of magnitude higher than that in the closed core-shell counterpart. Our calculations indicate that symmetry breaking can serve as a route to create unidirectional, highly intense, single-particle, coherent light sources at subwavelength scale