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Ultrathin sputter-deposited plasmonic silver nanostructures
Selina Goetz1, Martin Bauch1, Theodoros Dimopoulos1
1AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, Center for Energy, Photovoltaic Systems Giefinggasse 4 1210 Vienna Austria MartinBauch1@gmx.de Theodoros.Dimopoulos@ait.ac.at.
Nanoscale Advances
|September 22, 2022
Summary
Researchers created ultrathin silver plasmonic nanostructures using sputter deposition and nanoimprint lithography. These defect-free nanostructures exhibit high transmittance and strong near-infrared plasmonic resonance, with lower optical losses than bulk silver.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
- Plasmonics
Background:
- Fabricating ultrathin plasmonic nanostructures is challenging due to issues like grain formation and the need for complex processes.
- Achieving defect-free silver films with controlled morphology is crucial for optimal plasmonic performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a method for fabricating ultrathin silver plasmonic nanostructures without lift-off processes.
- To investigate the optical properties and plasmonic behavior of these novel nanostructures.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing sputter deposition on nanoimprint lithography-patterned substrates.
- Investigating silver growth on doped zinc oxide layers.
- Characterizing nanostructure morphology and optical properties.
Main Results:
- Successfully fabricated defect-free silver films as thin as 6 nm.
- Achieved well-separated disk and hole arrays with high aspect ratios.
- Observed high average transmittance (71%) in the visible range and strong near-infrared plasmonic dipole resonance.
- Demonstrated lower optical losses in ultrathin silver films compared to bulk silver in the near-infrared region.
Conclusions:
- The developed method enables efficient fabrication of high-quality ultrathin silver plasmonic nanostructures.
- These nanostructures exhibit excellent optical properties, including low loss in the NIR.
- Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) simulations confirm that bulk silver optical properties are adequate for designing defect-free, ultrathin nanostructures.
