Plasmon-induced nanoscale quantised conductance filaments

Plasmon-induced phenomena have recently attracted considerable attention. At the same time, relatively little research has been conducted on electrochemistry mediated by plasmon excitations. Here we report plasmon-induced formation of nanoscale quantized conductance filaments within metal-insulator-metal heterostructures. Plasmon-enhanced electromagnetic fields in an array of gold nanodots provide a straightforward means of forming conductive CrO_x bridges across a thin native chromium oxide barrier between the nanodots and an underlying metallic Cr layer. The existence of these nanoscale conducting filaments is verified by transmission electron microscopy and contact resistance measurements. Their conductance was interrogated optically, revealing quantised relative transmission of light through the heterostructures across a wavelength range of 1-12 μm. Such plasmon-induced electrochemical processes open up new possibilities for the development of scalable devices governed by light.