In recent years, the Surface Plasmon Polariton effect has played an important role for entering the Nano-world. When the metallic materials reach the nanometer level, many special characteristics show up. As the progress of advanced technology development, the equipments which can be operated in nano grade level are more stabilized. Many special surface Plasmonic properties have been discovered through the measurements. This research is to focus on using the Surface Plasmon coupling to excite colloidal quantum dots and observing the emissive behavior of quantum dots. The experiments of changing the distance between the quantum dots and the metal film were performed. The blinking effect disappeared when the quantum dots are very close to the metal film. It showed that some other mechanism is competing with Auger recombination in the quantum dots. The lifetime modification and emission intensity were measured when one quantum dot was placed near a silver cube. The coupling between the surface Plasmon polariton and the quantum dot was discussed.

O estudo de nanopartículas plasmônicas de ouro sob o ponto de vista conceitual foi o foco desta tese, explorando principalmente os efeitos do envoltório molecular e a intensificação dos espectros SERS tendo em vista aplicações em sensoriamento químico. Como moléculas sonda, foram selecionadas espécies multifuncionais, como a 2,4,6-trimercapto-1,3,5-triazina (TMT), 4,5-diamino-2,6- dimercaptopirimidina (DadMcP ou Dad) e a mercaptoetilpirazina (PZT), que apresentam grupos tióis capazes de ancorar nas nanopartículas de ouro, deixando outros sítios livres para interagir com substratos e complexos metálicos. Observou-se que o envoltório molecular formado no método de Turkevich, é bastante dependente das condições de síntese, tendo sido possível detectar a presença do intermediário da reação de oxidação do citrato na superfície das nanopartículas, sob condições controladas, influenciando drasticamente o comportamento SERS. Foi feito um estudo sistemático da molécula sonda 2,4,6-trimercapto-1,3,5-triazina ancorada nas nanopartículas de ouro, tanto por troca da camada passivante (citrato), como por síntese in situ com e sem agente redutor. Esses sistemas foram investigados, sob diferentes condições, como sensores SERS para metais. Esse estudo foi ampliado para a molécula sonda 4,5-diamino-2,6-dimercaptopirimidina (DadMcP), explorando a influência do tempo na coordenação dessa espécie na superfície e o efeito de diferentes eletrólitos nos processos de agregação. Finalmente, foram apresentadas fortes evidências da ocorrência de processos fotoinduzidos envolvendo as nanopartículas funcionalizadas, com destaque para a mercaptoetilpirazina (PZT), cujo comportamento mostrou-se bastante inusitado, gerando filmes fotoagregados sob influência da luz UV com possível aplicação em fotolitografia. / The study of plasmonic gold nanoparticles under the conceptual point of view was the focus of this thesis, exploring mainly, the effects of molecular shell and the intensification of SERS spectra aiming at applications in chemical sensing. For the probe molecules, multifunctional species were selected, such as a 2,4,6-trimercapto- 1,3,5-triazine (TMT), 4,5-diamine-2,6-dimercaptopyrimidine (DadMcP or Dad) and mercaptoethylpyrazine (PZT) which present thiol groups able to anchor onto gold nanoparticles, leaving available sites for further interaction with substrates and metal complexes. It was observed that the molecular shell in Turkevich\'s method is very dependent on the synthesis condition, being possible to detect the intermediate product of citrate oxidation reaction in the nanoparticle surface, under controlled conditions, dramatically influencing the SERS behavior. A systematic study was conduct with the probe molecule 2,4,6-trimercapto-1,3,5-triazine anchored to gold nanoparticles either by changing the passivating layer (citrate), or for in situ synthesis with and without a reducing agent. These systems were investigated under different conditions as SERS sensors for metals. This study was extended to the probe molecule 4,5-diamine-2,6-dimercaptopyrimidine, exploiting the influence of time in the coordination of such species and also the effect of different kinds of eletrolytes in the aggregation process. Finally, it has been presented strong evidences for the occurence of photoinduced processes involving functionalized nanoparticles with emphasis on mercaptoethylpyrazine, whose bahavior has proved to be very unusual, generating photoaggregated films under UV light influence, with possible applications in photolithography.

This thesis details the fabrication of three different plasmon-polariton based devices: a plasmon-polariton Bragg grating (PPBG) biosensor, an intensity modulator incorporating grating couplers, and optically separated electrical contact, and finally an array of nanoholes in an ultrasmooth Au film. The biosensor involves a 35 nm Au stripe, lithographically stepped in width to produce a Bragg reflector. The waveguide is embedded in symmetric, Cytop claddings 8 µm thick. Channels are etched into the top cladding, exposing the waveguides and allowing for the integration of fluidics. The modulator involves a 20 nm Au pad, overlaid with 80 nm Au diffraction gratings, supported by an ultrathin (~3 nm) SiO2 insulator, on a p-doped Silicon wafer backed by an Al Ohmic contact. Electrical contact pads are separated from the waveguide by a thick dielectric (700 nm PMMA), and 2.5 µm vias in-filled with Au allow for electrical connection between the contact pads and waveguides. The nanohole array is machined by focused ion beam into an ultrasmooth Au film revealed by template stripping. The Au film is stacked on a thick film of Cytop between ~5 µm thick.

Les nanoparticules plasmoniquespossèdent des propriétés intéressantes grâce àla résonance de plasmon de surface localisé. Enplus de leur grande efficacité de conversionphotothermique due au plasmon, leconfinement de l’échauffement peut êtremodulé par le type de source lumineuseutilisée (impulsionnelle ou continue). Cespropriétés font des nanoparticulesplasmoniques une solution potentielle pour lathérapie contre le cancer par hyperthermie.Afin de développer une telle applicationbiomédicale, il est nécessaire d'optimiserl'absorption de l'énergie lumineuse et le ciblagedes nanoparticules sur la tumeur considérée.Dans cette thèse, l'influence des électronschauds photo-générés sur l'absorptiond’impulsions laser ultracourtes par lesnanoparticules est d'abord étudiée. Ensuite, untravail effectué avec des chimistes, biologisteset médecins pour l'application desnanoparticules d’or irradiées par impulsionslaser ultracourtes à la thérapie contre le cancerest présenté. Enfin, nous présentons une étudepréliminaire sur la photoluminescence denanoparticules plasmoniques, dont l'origine estencore controversée, en appliquant un modèleprenant en compte la nature non thermale dela distribution d’électrons chauds. / Plasmonic nanoparticles possessinteresting properties thanks to the localizedsurface plasmon resonance. In addition totheir high photothermal conversion efficiency,the heat release confinement can bemodulated by the type of light source used(pulsed or continuous laser). These propertiesmake the plasmonic nanoparticles a potentialsolution for cancer therapy by hyperthermia.In order to develop such a biomedicalapplication, it is necessary to optimize theabsorption of light energy and the targeting ofnanoparticles on the tumor considered.In this thesis, the influence of the photogeneratedhot electrons on the absorption ofultrashort laser pulses by nanoparticles is firststudied. Then, a work carried out withchemists, biologists and physicians for theapplication of gold nanoparticles irradiated byultrashort laser pulses to cancer therapy isdescribed. Finally, we present a preliminarystudy on the photoluminescence of plasmonicnanoparticles, the origin of which is stillcontroversial, by applying a model accountingfor the non-thermal nature of the hot electrondistribution.

Les nanoparticules (NPs) métalliques ont de nombreuses applications en catalyse. Certaines d’entre elles (or, argent, cuivre) présentent une absorption dans le visible résultant de l’excitation du plasmon de surface par un champ électromagnétique extérieur. Nous proposons dans ce projet de coupler les propriétés catalytiques de nanoparticules à base d’or avec leurs propriétés de résonance de plasmon de façon à assister la réaction catalytique notamment par l’effet thermique qui en découle. Cette approche de catalyse assistée par plasmon, est générale et peut être utilisée pour une variété de procédés catalytiques exothermiques et endothermiques impliquant des nanoparticules. Cette catalyse assistée par plasmon permettra de réaliser des réactions catalytiques à moindre coût énergétique sous lumière solaire. / Metallic nanoparticles (NPs) have many applications in catalysis. Some of them (gold, silver, copper) have a visible absorption resulting from the excitation of the surface plasmon by an external electromagnetic field. In this project, we propose to couple the catalytic properties of gold-based nanoparticles with their plasmon resonance properties in order to assist the catalytic reaction, in particular by the resulting thermal effect. This plasmon-assisted catalysis approach is general and can be used for a variety of exothermic and endothermic catalytic processes involving nanoparticles. This plasmon-assisted catalysis will make it possible to carry out catalytic reactions at lower energy cost under solar light.

No description available.

近年來，表面等離子體因為可以在金屬表面激發極強的局部電磁場而受到廣泛的關注。它是光和物質之間的重要的聯繫。基於它在納米量級上操控和引導光子的能力，表面等離子體已廣泛應用于納米和生物光學之中，比如生物傳感器，表面增強拉曼散射，光鑷，發光二極管，太陽能電池和超材料等等。然而，儘管系統結構，材料特性，激發光波長和條件都會影響表面等離子體本身的特性以及它與材料之間的相互作用，這些外部條件的整體效果卻常常不為人所知。更重要的是，在表面等離子體和這些外部條件之間，似乎仍有未知的聯繫存在。比如，現在人們仍然不是很清楚激發表面等離子體的納米結構到底是怎樣控制它以及與它相關的特性的。 / 在這篇論文里，我們希望通過耦合模理論將這些外部條件和表面等離子體特性聯繫起來。耦合模理論提供了表面等離子體吸收和輻射壽命等內部參數以及它們與光相位，振幅，傳播方向的關係。因為這些外部條件和壽命參數，激發條件之間的聯繫廣為人知，我們因此就可以把這些外部條件和表面等離子體特性聯繫起來了。一旦獲得了這些壽命參數，我們亦可從另外一個角度研究表面等離子體的基本特性。比如，我們發現兩個簡併表面等離子體耦合除了形成超模式和次模式以外，它們的輻射壽命和吸收壽命都發生了改變。另外，我們在實空間和動量空間研究了表面等離子體衰變長度，群速度等其他內部參數，并發現它們和等離子體衰減及態密度有重要聯繫。我們還發現基於相位躍變的表面等離子體傳感器在臨界耦合時將獲得最優表現。最後，通過研究發光材料和表面等離子體之間的耦合效率，我們發現態密度在其中起了關鍵作用。 / Surface plasmons (SPs), which generate strong localized electromagnetic fields at metal surface, have been capturing worldwide attention recently because they establish an important link between light and matter. Due to their ability to route and manipulate photon at the nanoscale, SPs have been widely used in nano- and bio-photonics including biosensor, surface enhanced Raman scattering, optical tweezers, light emitting diodes, solar cell, and metamaterials, etc. However, although it is known that system geometry, material, wavelength, excitation condition are important in governing the behaviors of SPs as well as matter/SPPs interactions, how they work together in producing the final outcome is largely unknown. More importantly, there seems to be a "missing link" between these extrinsic parameters and the properties of SPs such that, for example, it is still not quite understood the exact roles of geometry play in controlling the SPs and their related properties. / In this thesis, we aim at bridging the link between extrinsic parameters and SPs properties based on temporal coupled-mode theory (CMT). CMT provides the knowledge of intrinsic parameters such as SPs radiative and absorption rates and their relationships with the phase, amplitude, and directionality of SPs. Because decay rates are strong function of system parameters, excitation condition, etc, connection between the extrinsic parameters and the SPs properties can now be established. With the decay rates and other accessories in hand, we study the fundamental of SPs from another perspective. For example, we examine how two degenerate SPs modes couple to yield a pair of dark and bright modes and find not only the radiation damping of SPs but also the absorption are modified. In addition, we study the decay length and the group velocity of SPs in real- and momentum- space to elucidate the interplay between the SPs losses and the wavevector-resolved projected density-of-optical-states (PDOS). We also explore the rate matching (i.e. critical coupling) for optimizing the phase-jump in SPs resonance sensing and achieve high figure of merit in sensing performance. Finally, the coupling between SPs and light emitters has been studied and it is found that their coupling rate is governed by PDOS. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Cao, Zhaolong = 表面等離子體激元在金屬納米洞陣列上的衰變研究及其應用 / 曹兆龍. / Thesis (Ph.D.) Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2014. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 142-149). / Abstracts also in Chinese. / Cao, Zhaolong = Biao mian deng li zi ti ji yuan zai jin shu na mi dong zhen lie shang de shuai bian yan jiu ji qi ying yong / Cao Zhaolong.

表面電漿是由貴金屬表面電荷密度漲落引起的沿著金屬表面傳播的電磁波。在過去十年裡，表面電漿效應因其在光子器件，傳感，表面增強螢光，尤其是表面增強拉曼散射(SERS) 方面的應用而引起了廣泛的關注.許多著作中的結論已經證實了的預期的SERS 強度，因此使得基於各種不同納米結構中的熱點的SERS變成一種下一代超敏感生物傳感平臺。因為表面電漿的波長和材料介電性質密切相闕，受f於此，難以進一步減小，所以對於進一步的各種應用來說，保證產生高強度的表面電漿使至關重要。同時，用電漿實現納米光子器件已經引起了研完者長久的興趣。例如，基於等問距規則排列的密置金屬納米顆粒之間突破衍射極限的的近場耕合已經被用於傳輸光信號。但是，輻射和吸收損耗在此類波導中是很嚴重的。因此，設計新概念的電漿器件是急需的。 / 有鑒於上述種種問題，本論文集中于總結構和材料兩方面剪裁表面電漿以期達到下面的要點和目的: / (1)基於傳播電漿(PSPs) ，或者傳播電漿同局域電漿(LPRs) 的結合而發展新的簡單的器件，由此提供顯著的聚焦、電磁場和場強增強。這種器件可以應用於很多方面，包括依賴強場的生物分子傳感探測，以及非線性光學效應。 / (2) 設計基於增益介臂的低損耗的納米光子學器件，這種器件能夠為納米光子器件提供切實的可行性。針對表面電漿共振和電漿結構植于的介電環境之間聯繫，獲得其理論闡釋。這一工作將可以為傳感和器件設計提供深入的理解。 / 本論文中我們已經得到了如下的成果: / (1)一種基於將表面電漿聚焦到金屬盤中心孔而實現級聯放大增強的SERS 激勵源被提出和理論研究。這種器件提供了準均勻，水平偏振，較大面積的強SERS 激勵源。如時域有限差分(FDTD) 方法所揭試，強度譜線和波長範圍在650-1000 nm的近場性質展混出了一系列增強模式。在最佳的增強模式下，孔洞中的電場可以使得SERS 信號獲得四次方的進一步增強。同時一種解析模型也被提出來給FDTD結果以精確的解釋。我們的模型同時揭示了通過侵化金屬盤尺度而得到八次方場增強的可能性。我們的結果表明極強的電場增強，並且聚焦的電場是平行于金屬盤平面的效果，只能在中間包含一個孔洞的中空金屬盤(HMDs) 中才可能實現。這是因為金屬盤中間絶悸的問時的存在使得孔洞邊棒的電子不能流通間隙，進進而使得高強度的電場可以存在。另一方面，在實心的金屬盤的情形下，電子流會傾向於抑制到達中心的表面電漿的強度。除了產生高度優化的SERS 熱點，這種大面積的活性孔洞在螢光增強和非線性光學中也提供了一些潛在的應用。 / 除了中空金屬盤，基於經由增孟輔助下PSPs 的LPRs 之間的衍射共掠，我們開發了另一種一種高度侵化的熱點。由此得到的器件被理論上分析。衍射共振的過程是經由下述過程實現的:由LPRs 實現的光場局域化， LPRs 和PSPs 相互作用，以及通過PSPs 的能量傳遞。我們的研究表明通過給PSPs 引入光學增孟，可以從一種激光過程中的到LPRs 非常強的電磁場增強。我們發現通過現實的增豆豆水平，局域電場的增強引子可以達到10⁷。因此，我們為實現依賴強電場的單分子SERS提供了一種理想的方案，並且這種方案也是一種納米激光的新機制。 / (2) 基於增孟輔助的電漿共振金屬納米顆粒鏈，我們提出了一種低損耗納米尺度的波導。我們證明通過引入增孟材料或者引入適當的介電材料作為周圍環境，波導的損耗可以顯著減小。為了得到低損耗傳翰的復介電譜，我們開發了一種高效的膺正交基展開(POBE) 方法。本徵模式分析揭示了低損耗模式的物理源頭，同時給出了除了基於單體偶極共振傳輸之外能量傳輸的可能性。我們提出一種基於電子書刻蝕和化學合成納米顆粒的一種製備方案。這種電漿波導可以構成納米光學器件的基石，尤其是用於集成納米光子學線路。同時，我們原創的揭示表面電漿的物理機理的POBE 方法可以用於進一步研究優化增豆豆輔助的電漿結構，進而設計良好的納米光子器件。 / 本論文始於一個古老問題:宏觀尺度下基於傳統介電材料光聚焦和傳導，并最後終結於納米尺度內經由增益材料和電漿結構的表面電漿的聚焦、和引導。論文結尾，本文給出了展望以及幾種可能的器件實現方案。 / Surface plasmons (SPs) are electromagnetic waves that propagate along the surface of a noble metal via fluctuations in electron density. In the last decade, SPs effects gained widespread attention for their potential application in photonic devices, sensing, surface-enhanced fluorescence, especially Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS). Many published results have confirmed the expected strengths of SERS, hence making it possible for SERS to become a next generation ultra-sensitive biosensing platform, which may take the form of various nano-structures in order to achieve optimized hot spots. While the wavelength of SPs is closely related to material dielectric properties and has limited scope for further reduction, it is of critical importance to ensure that SPs are being generated with the highest intensity before any further application advancement is possible. Meanwhile, plasmonics has aroused longstanding interests among researchers to realize nanophotonic devices. For example, ordered arrays of closely spaced metallic nanoparticles (MNP) have been employed to transport optical signals via near-field coupling below the diffraction limit. However, radiation and absorption losses in these waveguides can be serious. New concepts for novel plasmonic devices are essential. / In light of these issues, this thesis focuses on tailoring SPs from the viewpoints of structural and material properties with the following objectives: / (1) To develop a new class of simple plasmonic devices based on tailoring of propagating surface plasmons (PSPs) or cooperation between PSPs and localized plasmon resonance (LPRs) to offer significant field focusing and intensity enhancement. It can serve a wide range of applications, including high field related biomolecular sensing and detection as well as non-linear optical effects. / (2) To design low loss nanophotonic wave guides based on gain medium, which may offer real opportunity for practical nanophotonic devices. To obtain a theoretical interpretation of relationship between surface plasmon resonance and host environment where the plasmonic structure embedded. This study should provide further insight towards sensing and device design. / We have achieved the following results in this project: / (1) A novel SERS excitation source based on focusing of surface plasmons around the center hole of a metal disk for cascaded enhancement is put forward and studied theoretically. The device offers intense SERS excitation with quasi-uniformity and horizontal polarization over a comparatively large hole. As revealed by fmite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method, the intensity spectra and the characteristics of the near field for the wavelength range of 650-1 000 nm exhibit a number of enhancement modes. Electric field intensity of the optimal mode enhances the SERS signal inside the hole by over four orders. An analytical model was also developed to gain precise interpretation on FDTD results. Our model also reveals the possibility of achieving eight orders of enhancement by optimizing the scale of the disk. Our results indicate that much higher electric field enhancement in hollow metal disks (HMDs) can only be possible when we have a hole at the centre and the direction of the focusing field is parallel to the surface of the plasmonic device. This is because of the presence of an insulating gap at the center, that higher level of electric field can exist as electrons are not allowed to flow pass the gap. On the other hand, in the case of a solid metal disk, the flow of mobile electron will tend to dampen the amplitude of the arriving SPs. In addition to generation of highly optimized hot spots for SERS, the large active hole also offers potential applications in fluorescence enhancement and nonlinear spectroscopy. / In addition to HMDs, we also develop a kind of highly optimized hot spots based on diffraction coupling between LPRs via gain-assisted PSPs. Thus derived device was theoretically analyzed. The process of diffraction coupling is achieved via localization of light by LPRs, LPRs-PSPs interplay and PSPs transfer. Our study shows that by incorporating optical gain to PSPs, a very strong boost of the electromagnetic enhancement of LPRs can be expected from a lasing process. We find that with a practical gain level, the enhancement factor of local electric field intensity can be larger than 10⁷. Hence, we offer an ideal configuration to realize high-field dependent single molecule SERS and also a newly applied physical scheme for nano-Iaser. / (2) We propose a low-loss nanoscale wave guide based on gain-assisted plasmonic resonance MNP chain. We demonstrate that by employing a gain material or even an appropriate dielectric for the host environment, waveguide loss can be reduced dramatically. A highly efficient pseudo-orthonormal basis expansion (POBE) method for obtaining the complex dielectric spectra of the low-loss transmission has been developed. Eigenmode analysis revealed the physical origin of those low-loss wave guiding modes, which opens the possibility to achieve waveguiding other than using conventional dipolar resonances of individual particles. A scheme based on electron beam lithography and chemically synthesized nanoparticles has been proposed to fabricate the device. Such plasmonic waveguides may serve as building blocks for making nanoscale optical devices especially for integrated nanophotonic circuits. Meanwhile, the originally developed POBE method, which reveals the general physical mechanism of SPs, can be used to further explore optimized gain-assisted plasmonic structures to design favorable nanophotonic devices. / This thesis begins with an old problem: light focusing and guiding in macroscopic scale with traditional dielectric, and sum up finally with SPs focusing and guiding in nanoscale with gain material and plasmonic material. An outlook is presented at last with several potential schemes for the device realization. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Detailed summary in vernacular field only. / Zhang, Haixi. / "September 2011." / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2012. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 124-139). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese. / Chapter Chapter1 --- Introduction --- p.1 / Chapter 1.1 --- Towards field intensity focusing and guiding of electromagnetic wave --- p.1 / Chapter 1.2 --- Surface plasmons as a route to realize electromagnetic field focusing and waveguiding in nanoscale --- p.3 / Chapter 1.3 --- Structure of this thesis --- p.10 / Chapter Chapter2 --- Plasmonic near field engineering: structural and material aspects --- p.13 / Chapter 2.1 --- Light focusing using near field oflocalized plasmon resonances --- p.13 / Chapter 2.2 --- Plasmonic near field focusing through propagating surface plasmons --- p.30 / Chapter 2.3 --- Various schemes for near field focusing through surface plasmons --- p.33 / Chapter 2.4 --- Guiding surface plasmons in nanoscale --- p.35 / Chapter 2.5 --- Gain-assisted surface plasmons: a different path to field enhancement and guiding --- p.38 / Chapter Chapter3 --- Surface plasmons: characteristics and methodology --- p.42 / Chapter 3.1 --- Characteristics of localized plasmon resonance --- p.42 / Chapter 3.2 --- Localized plasmon resonance: Mie theory and its variations --- p.44 / Chapter 3.3 --- Characteristics of propagating surface plasmons --- p.49 / Chapter 3.4 --- Reflection Pole Method for studying propagating surface plasmons in multilayer structures --- p.55 / Chapter 3.5 --- Pseudo-orthonormal basis expansion method: a new mathematical scheme for modeling surface plasmons --- p.58 / Chapter Chapter4 --- High field generation through intensity focusing of propagating surface plasmons --- p.62 / Chapter 4.1 --- Introduction --- p.62 / Chapter 4.2 --- The hollow metal disk design and its characteristics --- p.64 / Chapter 4.3 --- Quasi-uniform excitation source based on focusing of propagating surface plasmons for cascade enhancement of surface enhanced Raman scattering --- p.68 / Chapter 4.4 --- Conclusions and outlook --- p.78 / Chapter Chapter5 --- High field generation through intensity enhancement of localized plasmon resonance from gain-assisted diffraction coupling --- p.81 / Chapter 5.1 --- Introduction --- p.81 / Chapter 5.2 --- Diffraction excitation of localized plasmon resonance from propagating surface plasmons --- p.83 / Chapter 5.3 --- Diffraction coupling of localized plasmon resonance through gain-assisted propagating surface plasmons --- p.89 / Chapter Chapter6 --- Gain-assisted plasmonic waveguides based on nanoparticle chains: an effective device approach for achieving low loss in nanoscale dimensions --- p.97 / Chapter 6.1 --- Introduction --- p.97 / Chapter 6.2 --- Theoretical study of near-field particle interactions in active plasmon wave guides --- p.99 / Chapter 6.3 --- Routing and splitting of electromagnetic energy in nanosphere plasmon waveguides --- p.103 / Chapter 6.4 --- Conclusions --- p.107 / Chapter Chapter7 --- Conclusions and outlook --- p.109 / Appendix --- p.117 / Bibliography --- p.124

This thesis presents a study of Surface Plasmon Polaritons (SPPs) in hybrid metal-dielectric waveguides. The embedding of metal in nanostructured photonic components allows for manipulating and guiding light at the subwavelength scale. Such an extreme confinement enhances the nonlinear response of the dielectric medium, which is important for applications in optical processing of information, but is paid in terms of considerable ohmic loss in the metal. It is, however, possible to embed externally pumped active inclusions in the dielectric in order to compensate for the metal loss. A novel perturbative theory for Maxwell equations is introduced and applied to various nonlinear metal-dielectric structures, deriving the propagation equation for the optical field. The nonlinear dispersion law for amplified SPPs, filamentation and dissipative plasmon-soliton formation have been studied, revealing intrinsic core and tail instabilities that prevent solitons to propagate over long distances. Stable propagation of plasmon-solitons can be achieved in insulator-metal-insulator structures with active and passive interfaces. The active SPP is coupled with the passive SPP, which absorbs the perturbations destabilising the zero background of the soliton. Theoretical modelling of optical propagation in metal-dielectric stacks predicts a modified two-band structure, allowing for gap/discrete plasmon-soliton formation. Loss and nonlinear parameters in subwavelength nanowire waveguides are evaluated and compared to the results obtained by other research groups. In all calculations, particular attention is paid in considering boundary conditions accounting for loss and nonlinear corrections, which contribute to the propagation equation with a surface term that becomes significant in the subwavelength regime.

Assembly of noble metal nanocrystals gives rise to extraordinary plasmonic properties that are distinct from those of isolated ones. We have prepared clusters that are composed of two-dimensionally-ordered gold nanocubes on flat substrates and investigated their plasmonic properties. It is found that the plasmon resonances of the nanocube clusters are highly dependent on both the number and ordering of the nanocubes in the clusters. FDTD calculations reveal that the rich plasmon modes in the clusters originate from the interparticle couplings in the cluster and the couplings between the entire clusters and the substrate. / I believe that my research work has provided an in-depth fundamental understanding of the localized surface plasmon resonances of gold nanocrystals and will have a number of implications for the applications of metallic nanostructures in optics, optoelectronics, and biotechnology. / Noble metal nanocrystals have attracted much interest due to their rich optical properties, which arise from the localized surface plasmon resonances, the collective oscillations of free electrons confined on the nanoscale. Under resonant excitation by light, noble metal nanocrystals exhibit extremely large light scattering and absorption, as well as large near-field enhancements. These fascinating properties bring about a variety of applications, including plasmonic sensing, plasmonic waveguiding, surface-enhanced Raman scattering, plasmon-enhanced fluorescence, photothermal cancer therapy, and plasmonic-enhanced energy harvesting. Among various noble metal nanocrystals, gold nanocrystals exhibit high chemical stability and large biological compatibility. Moreover, their plasmon resonance wavelengths can be synthetically tuned from the visible to near infrared spectral regions. In this thesis, a systematic study on the localized surface plasmon resonances of gold nanocrystals is presented, both experimentally and theoretically. / Photothermal conversion of gold nanocrystals can be applied in the areas of photothermal polymerization, photothermal imaging, drug release from capsules, and photothermal therapy. We have investigated the photothermal conversion properties of different gold nanocrystals and their composites. The studies show that the plasmon wavelength, particle volume, shell coating, and assembly of gold nanocrystals all play important roles in their photothermal conversion efficiency. / The refractive index sensitivity of gold nanocrystals is a key factor in their practical sensing applications. I will first introduce the systematic studies on the dependence of the index sensitivity on the shapes and sizes of gold nanocrystals that have varying plasmon resonance wavelengths. The index sensitivity has been found to generally increase as the plasmon resonance wavelength for a fixed nanocrystal shape becomes longer and as the curvature of the nanocrystals gets larger. I have further studied the dependence of the index sensitivity on the different shapes of gold nanocrystals that have the same longitudinal plasmon resonance wavelength. The refractive index sensitivities have been found to vary with the nanocrystal shape. Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) calculations have been performed on these nanocrystals to reveal the origin of this dependence. A linear relationship is found between the index sensitivity and the product of the electric polarizability with the curvature. On the basis of these studies, a novel plasmonic optical fiber device has further been fabricated to detect small changes in the local dielectric environment. / When fabricating plasmonic devices, such as waveguides, optical switches, plasmonic sensors, and plasmon-enhanced solar cells, one needs to attach metal nanocrystals onto different substrates. The interactions between gold nanocrystals and the substrates can strongly modify the plasmonic responses of the nanocrystals and therefore need to be taken into account when designing of various plasmonic devices. We have further investigated the coupling between gold nanocrystals and substrates with different dielectric properties, including insulating, semiconducting, and metallic ones. It is found that the substrates play an important role in both the scattering patterns and scattering spectra of the supported gold nanocrystals. Specifically, Fano-type resonances can be observed for large nanocrystals sitting on silicon substrates that have a large dielectric constant. / Chen, Huanjun. / Adviser: Jianfang Wang. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 72-04, Section: B, page: . / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2010. / Includes bibliographical references. / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest Information and Learning Company, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstract also in Chinese.