Electromagnetic interaction between local surface plasmon polaritons and an atmospheric surface wave plasma jet

We analyze the electromagnetic interaction between local surface plasmon polaritons （SPPs） and an atmospheric surface wave plasma jet （ASWPJ） in combination with our designed discharge device. Before discharge, the excitation of the SPPs and the spatial distribution of the enhanced electric field are analyzed. During discharge, the critical breakdown electric field of the gases at atmospheric gas pressure and the surface wave of the SPPs converted into electron plasma waves at resonant points are studied. After discharge, the ionization development process of the ASWPJ is simulated using a two- dimensional fluid model. Our results suggest that the local enhanced electric field of SPPs is merely the precondition of gas breakdown, and the key mechanism in maintaining the discharge development of a low-power ASWPJ is the wave-mode conversion of the local enhanced electric field at the resonant point.

Character Diagnosis for Surface-Wave Plasmas Excited by Surface Plasmon Polaritons

The plasma parameters of planar-type surface-wave plasmas （SWPs） are diagnosed based on the resonant excitation of surface plasmon polaritons （SPPs）. The plasma parameter distributions are obtained by changing the discharge conditions of gas pressure and incident power. The measured experimental results show that the plasma near the heating layer is excited by surface waves of SPPs while the plasma located downstream originates from diffusion Moreover, the influence of high-frequency oscillations plays a significant role in producing the proposed SWPs with bi-Maxwellian electron energy distributions.

Analysis of waveguide structure for surface plasmon polariton interference

This paper describes a multi-reflected mode based on a narrow waveguide to enlarge the interferential area of surface plasmon polaritons （SPPs）. A reasonable thickness of metal film is coated under the waveguide, the incident angle and the waveguide thickness are optimized in order to effectively increase interferential area. This is a key point for research into the Coos Hǎnchen shift to optimize the waveguide thickness. Finally, the SPP interferential field is simulated with the finite-difference time-domain （FDTD） technique to prove the optimized results, and indicates that not only is the interferential area enlarged, but the high contrast is also maintained. Furthermore, the mode can fabricate some specific interferential patterns by adding some modulating techniques to the waveguide. So the mode has potential application in the fabrication of sub-wavelength patterns.

Single-beam leaky-wave antenna with wide scanning angle and high scanning rate based on spoof surface plasmon polariton

We propose a single-beam leaky-wave antenna(LWA) with a wide-scanning angle and a high-scanning rate based on spoof surface plasmon polariton(SSPP) in this paper. The SSPP transmission line(TL) is etched with periodically arranged circular patches, which converts the slow-wave mode into the fast-wave region for radiation. The proposed LWA is designed, fabricated, and tested. The simulated results imply that the proposed LWA not only achieves a high radiation efficiency of about 81.4%, and a high scanning rate of 12.12, but also has a large scanning angle of 176° over a narrow operation bandwidth of 8.3-9.6 GHz(for |S_(11)| <-10 dB). In addition, the simulated average gain of the LWA can reach as high as 10.9 d Bi. The measured scanning angle range is 175° in the operation band of 8.2-9.6 GHz, and the measured average gain is 10.6 dBi. The experimental results are consistent with the simulation, validating its performance. An antenna with high radiation efficiency, wide scanning angle range, and high scanning rate has great potential for application in radar and wireless communication systems.

Investigation on Surface Plasmon Polaritons and Localized Surface Plasmon Production Mechanism in Micro-Nano Structures

The simulation mechanism of surface plasmon polaritons(SPPs)and localized surface plasmon(LSP)in different structures was studied,including the Au reflection grating(Au grating),Au substrate with dielectric ribbons grating(Au substrate grating),and pure electric conductor(PEC)substrate with Au ribbons grating(Au ribbons grating).And the characteristics of the Smith-Purcell radiation in these structures were presented.Simulation results show that SPPs are excited on the bottom surface of Au substrate grating grooves and LSP is stimulated on the upper surface both of Au ribbons grating grooves and Au grating grooves.Owing to the irreconcilable contradiction between optimizing the grating diffraction radiation efficiency and optimizing the SPPs excitation efficiency in the Au substrate grating,only 40-times enhancement of the radiation intensity was obtained by excited SPPs.However,the LSP enhanced structure overcomes the above problem and gains much better radiation enhancement ability,with about 200-times enhancement obtained in the Au ribbons grating and more than 500-times enhancement obtained in the Au grating.The results presented here provide a way of developing miniature,integratable,tunable,high-power-density radiation sources from visible light to ultraviolet rays at room temperature.

Numerical investigation of the enhanced unidirectional surface plasmon polaritons generator

A unidirectional surface plasmon polaritons(SPPs) generator with greatly enhanced generation efficiency is proposed. The SPPs generator consists of an asymmetric single nanoslit coated with a polyviny alcohol(PVA) film and a silver rectangle block. The generation efficiency of this SPPs generator is investigated using the finite difference time domain method. Due to the presence of the silver rectangle block, the SPPs generation efficiency of the asymmetric single nanoslit with PVA film can be greatly enhanced and the corresponding wavelength with the maximum enhancement factor can be tuned flexibly. The influence of the structural parameters on the generation efficiency is also investigated for the enhanced unidirectional SPPs generator.

Surface plasmon polaritons frequency-blue shift in low confinement factor excitation region

Surface plasmon polaritons'(SPPs')frequency blue shift is observed in finite-difference time-domain(FDTD)simulation of parallel electron excitation Au bulk structure.Comparing with cold dispersion of SPPs,an obvious frequency blue shift is obtained in low confinement region excitation simulation results.Then,according to SPPs'transverse attenuation characteristics,the excited frequency mode instead of cold dispersion corresponding frequency mode matches it.Thence,this excited mode is confirmed to be SPPs'mode.As is well known the lower the frequency,the smaller the confinement factor is and the lower the excitation efficiency,the wider the bandwidth of excited SPPs is.And considering the attenuation in whole structure,the excited surface field contains attenuation signal.In a low confinement factor region,the higher the SPPs'frequency,the higher the excitation efficiency is,while broadband frequency information obtained in attenuation signal provides high frequency information in stimulation signal.Thence,in the beam-wave interaction,as the signal oscillation time increases,the frequency of the oscillation field gradually increases.Thus,compared with cold dispersion,the frequency of excited SPP is blueshifted This hypothesis is verified by monitoring the time domain signal of excited field in low and high confinement factor regions and comparing them.Then,this frequency-blue shift is confirmed to have commonality of SPPs,which is independent of SPPs'material and structure.Finally,this frequency-blue shift is confirmed in an attenuated total reflection(ATR)experiment.Owing to frequency dependence of most of SPPs'devices,such as coherent enhancement radiation and enhancement transmission devices,the frequency-blue shift presented here is of great influence in the SPPs applications.

Contribution of surface plasmon polaritons to extraordinary optical transmission through metallic nanoslit

A single metallic nanoslit is employed for investigating the contribution of Surface Plasmon Polaritons(SPPs) to Extraordinary Optical Transmission(EOT) based on rigorous electromagnetic theory and the Spectrum Analysis Method(SAM). Numerical results shows that the SPP is the main factor responsible for the EOT, and a phase singularity is observed.

The theoretic analysis of maskless surface plasmon resonant interference lithography by prism coupling

The use of an attenuated total reflection-coupling mode of prism coated with metal film to excite the interference of the surface plasmon polaritons （SPPs） was proposed for periodic patterning with a resolution of subwavelength scale. High intensity of electric field can be obtained because of the coupling between SPPs and evanescence under a resonance condition, which can reduce exposure time and improve contrast. In this paper, several critical parameters for maskless surface plasmon resonant lithography are described, and the preliminary simulation based on a finite difference timedomain technique agrees well with the theoretical analysis, which demonstrates this scheme and provides the theoretical basis for further experiments.

A numerical simulation of surface wave excitation in a rectangular planar-type plasma source

The principle of surface wave plasma discharge in a rectangular cavity is introduced simply based on surface plasmon polariton theory. The distribution of surface-wave electric field at the interface of the plasma-dielectric slab is investigated by using the three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method （3D-FDTD） with different slotantenna structures. And the experimental image of discharge with a novel slot antenna array and the simulation of the electric field with this slot antenna array are both displayed. Combined with the distribution of surface wave excitation and experimental results, the numerical simulation performed by using 3D-FDTD is shown to be a useful tool in the computer-aided antenna design for large area planar-type surface-wave plasma sources.

The determination of the thickness and the optical dispersion property of gold film using spectroscopy of a surface plasmon in the frequency domain

We propose to use wavelength modulation approach,i.e.,the spectroscopy of a surface plasmon in the frequency domain,to characterize the optical dispersion property of gold film.Using this method,we determine the dispersion relationship of gold film in a wavelength range from 537.12 nm to 905.52 nm,and our results accord well with the reported results by other authors.This method is particularly suited for studying the optical dispersion properties of thin metal films,because a series of dielectric constants over a wide spectral range can be determined simultaneously via only a single scan of the incident angle,thereby avoiding the repeated measurements required when using the angular modulation approach.

Decoupling co-existing surface plasmon polariton （SPP） modes in a nanowire plasmonic waveguide for quantitative mode analysis

Knowledge of surface plasmon polariton （SPP） modes in one-dimensional （1D） metallic nanostructures is essential for the development of subwavelength optical devices such as photonic circuits, integrated light sources, and photo- detectors. Despite many efforts to characterize the propagation parameters of these subwavelength 1D plasmonic waveguides, such as Ag nanowires, large discrepancies exist among available reports owing to their sensitivity to the relative weights of co-existing SPP modes and the lack of a method of decoupling these modes and analyzing them separately. In this work, we develop an interference method to distinguish different SPP modes that are simultaneously excited in a Ag nanowire waveguide and measure their propagation parameters separately. By extracting information from the propagation-distance- dependent intensity oscillations of the scattered light from the nanowire tip, the effective refractive indices, propagation lengths, and relative mode weights of co-existing SPP modes supported by the nanowire are derived from a mode interference model. These parameters depend strongly on the nanowire diameter and excitation wavelength. In particular, we demonstrate the possibility of selective excitation of different SPP modes by varying the nanowire diameter. This new mode analysis technique provides unique insights into the develop- ment and optimization of SPP-based applications.

金纳米圆孔阵列异常光学透射模拟研究

利用COMSOL Multiphysics对金纳米圆孔阵列的物理场进行模拟,分析不同金属膜厚度、孔径、周期下阵列的光谱和电场分布,探究异常光学透射(extraordinary optical transmission,EOT)的成因.通过分析发现透射峰主要有3个成因:一是材料本身的带间跃迁特性会导致透射峰;二是金属阵列产生的表面波会激发金属膜背侧的局域表面等离激元,通过散射形成透射峰;三是耦合的表面等离激元转化成波导模式,沿着圆孔传输造成透射峰,该透射峰的频率低于表面等离激元的频率.

Hierarchical microstructures with high spatial frequency laser induced periodic surface structures possessing different orientations created by femtosecond laser ablation of silicon in liquids

High spatial frequency laser induced periodic surface structures(HSFLs)on silicon substrates are often developed on flat surfaces at low fluences near ablation threshold of 0.1 J/cm2,seldom on microstructures or microgrooves at relatively higher fluences above 1 J/cm^2.This work aims to enrich the variety of HSFLs-containing hierarchical microstructures,by femtosecond laser(pulse duration:457 fs,wavelength:1045 nm,and repetition rate:100 kHz)in liquids(water and acetone)at laser fluence of 1.7 J/cm^2.The period of Si-HSFLs in the range of 110–200 nm is independent of the scanning speeds(0.1,0.5,1 and 2 mm/s),line intervals(5,15 and 20μm)of scanning lines and scanning directions(perpendicular or parallel to light polarization direction).It is interestingly found that besides normal HSFLs whose orientations are perpendicular to the direction of light polarization,both clockwise or anticlockwise randomly tilted HSFLs with a maximal deviation angle of 50°as compared to those of normal HSFLSs are found on the microstructures with height gradients.Raman spectra and SEM characterization jointly clarify that surface melting and nanocapillary waves play important roles in the formation of Si-HSFLs.The fact that no HSFLs are produced by laser ablation in air indicates that moderate melting facilitated with ultrafast liquid cooling is beneficial for the formation of HSFLs by LALs.On the basis of our findings and previous reports,a synergistic formation mechanism for HSFLs at high fluence was proposed and discussed,including thermal melting with the concomitance of ultrafast cooling in liquids,transformation of the molten layers into ripples and nanotips by surface plasmon polaritons(SPP)and second-harmonic generation(SHG),and modulation of Si-HSFLs direction by both nanocapillary waves and the localized electric field coming from the excited large Si particles.

Effect of dipole location on profile properties of symmetric surface plasmon polariton mode in Au/Al2O3/Au waveguide

This study uses a dipole embedded in A1203 layer to excite a symmetric surface plasmon polariton （SPP） mode in Au/A1203/Au waveguide to investigate its profile properties by using finite-difference time-domain （FDTD） method. The excited dipole decay radiatively direct near-field coupling to SPP mode owing to thin A1203 layer of 100 nm. The effects of electric and magnetic field intensity profiles and decay length have been considered and characterized. It is found that dipole location is an important factor to influence the horizontal and vertical profile properties of symmetric SPP mode in Au/A1203/Au waveguide. The amplitudes of electric and magnetic field intensity and the wavelengths of metal-insulatormetal （MIM） SPP resonance mode can be tuned by varying dipole location. The horizontal and vertical decay lengths are 19 and 24 nm, respectively. It is expected that the Au/A1203/Au waveguide structure is very useful for the practical applications of designing a SPP source.

基于人工表面等离子体激元的毫米波高扫描率四波束漏波天线

为灵活控制波束以增强多目标探测和跟踪功能,研制了基于人工表面等离子体激元(SSPP)的毫米波四波束高扫描率漏波天线(LWA)。根据正弦电抗调制叠加理论,对基片集成波导(SIW)槽缝形成的SSPP结构进行多周期性叠加调控,实现四波束扫描LWA。为改善天线的法向辐射性能,在SIW下表面周期性开槽,消除LWA的阻带效应。对设计的LWA进行加工和测试,结果表明在29 GHz~30.2 GHz的频带内,该天线的四个波束能从-52°连续扫描到+22°,扫描率达到18°/%BW,节约了频谱资源,并提高了多目标探测效率。

Scatterings from surface plasmons to propagating waves at plasmonic discontinuities

Surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) and their low-frequency counterpart spoof SPPs have attracted intensive interests in sciences [1,2], due to their unprecedented capabilities to confine electromagnetic (EM) fields at deep-subwavelength scale, leading to many applications such as super-resolution imaging [3], plasmonic lasers [4], surfaced-enhanced Raman effect [5], plasmonic waveguides [6,7] or circuits [8], etc. In practice, scatterings of SPPs to propagating waves (PWs) are inevitable as SPPs encounter discontinuities (say, interfaces between two different plasmonic systems). Such scatterings can lead to undesired radiation losses which should be avoided, especially in those applications employing SPPs as information carriers (say, plasmonic waveguides and nano-circuits [6–8]). Meanwhile, SPP-PW scatterings can also be utilized to achieve certain desired functionalities. For example, one can purposely place a set of carefully designed scatters on a plasmonic surface to scatter SPPs, generating fascinating effects such as holograms, focusing, or even directional radiations [9,10]. However, theoretical understandings on the inherent physics governing SPP-PW scatterings are far from satisfactory. Without a simple picture on such processes, people usually have to rely on full-wave simulations to optimize the devices to either suppress or utilize the SPP-PW scatterings. Although several theoretical approaches were proposed to study the SPP transmission/ reflection behaviors at certain plasmonic interfaces [11,12], the SPP-PW scatterings are usually overlooked. Moreover, since PWs have infinite channels to transport in free space, it is difficult to derive an analytical formula to describe such SPP-PW processes.

Surface plasmon polaritons based optical directional coupler

As a basic optical device, the optical directional coupler (ODC) is basically used as optical splitters, optic switches and so on. A novel ODC employing surface plas- mon polaritons (SPPs) is proposed for high integration. The finite difference time domain (FDTD) method is adopted to simulate and analyze its properties. Results show that the ODC proposed here follows the general regulations of a conventional dielectric ODC, but its transverse size is of nanoscale, which improves the optical integration greatly. For 1550 nm and 1310 nm input wavelengths, when the coupling region length (L) equals half of its coupling length, the Excess Loss is respectively 0.57 dB and 0.56 dB, which is practical in applications. So the research on the present ODC is of some practical importance.

Spontaneous emission rate enhancement of nano-structured silicon by surface plasmon polariton

Surface plasmon polariton （SPP） is an attractive candidate to improve internal quantum efficiency （QE） of spontaneous emission （SE） from nano-structured silicon （Si） including nano-porous silicon （NP-Si） and silicon nanocrystal （Si-NC）. Since the SPP resonant frequency of common metals, e.g., gold （Au）, silver （Ag）, copper （Cu）, and aluminum （A1）, is too high, the SPP resonance has to be engineered to match the luminescence from nano- structured Si. For this purpose, we have proposed and demonstrated three approaches including metal-rich Au（1-a）-SiO2（a） cermet SPP waveguide （WG）, com- pound layer structure WG and metallic grating. In this paper, those approaches are reviewed and discussed. According to the calculated results, such three methods could effectively enhance SE rate from NP-Si or Si-NCs and show potential in developing high efficiency Si based light sources with electric pump.

基于双层人工表面等离激元的高扫描率漏波天线

针对传统人工表面等离激元(SSPPs)漏波天线扫描速率低的现象,提出了一种新型双层SSPPs单元,并基于此实现了拥有高扫描率特征的漏波天线。所提出的双层SSPPs单元由具有“H”形的顶层SSPPs单元和具有“I”形的底层SSPPs单元组成。所提出的单元通过分别控制顶层和底层SSPPs单元的色散特性,能够实现对色散曲线的截止频率和斜率的独立控制。所提出的漏波天线的辐射是通过对顶层的“H”形单元进行正弦表面阻抗调制来实现的。由于底层“I”形的SSPPs单元的存在,引入了强色散特性,提高了周期相移的增长速率,从而实现了高扫描速率。此外,通过在周期辐射结构上引入短路枝节,该漏波天线的开阻带(OSB)现象被几乎完全抑制。通过对所提出的漏波天线的原型进行仿真、加工和测量,该漏波天线能够在8.8~10.8 GHz之间的窄频段实现从后向-63°到正向63°的大角度连续扫描。测试结果与仿真结构一致证明了提出双层SSPPs单元与设计理论的正确性。