Xiaojin Jiao

Localization of Near-Field Resonances in Bowtie Antennae: Influence of Adhesion Layers

The near-field resonances of gold bowtie antennae are numerically modeled. Besides the short-range surface plasmon polariton (SR-SPP) mode along the main axis of the structure, a coupled SPP mode is also found in the gap region (G-SPP). The influence of adhesion layers is considered, which depends on the refractive index and the absorption of the adhesion material and whether it is continuous or etched. A high refractive index causes the peak of the SR-SPP to red-shift. High absorption quenches the intensity of the SR-SPP. The magnitude of influence depends on the overlap of the adhesion layer with the SR-SPP and G-SPP modes. The near-field resonance of the SPP mode on the top surface is also considered. An etched metal adhesion layer changes the near-field localization in the gap and causes the enhancement peaks at different heights within the gap to red-shift from top to bottom. A simple optimization method for the near-field localization by the combination of different top and bottom layers is demonstrated.

Second-harmonic emission from sub-wavelength apertures: Effects of aperture symmetry and lattice arrangement

We measure second-harmonic generation from arrays of sub-wavelength apertures in transmission using fundamental input at 800 nm. Lattice arrangements include disordered, Penrose (quasi-periodic or aperiodic), and square (periodic). Strong angular dependence of SHG is observed, with maxima located at angular positions that roughly correspond to incidence angles of extraordinary optical transmission (EOT) for the fundamental. In addition, even at incidence normal to the sample, strong secondary maxima are observed at off-normal scattering angles for the arrangements with higher degree of order. Breaking the inversion symmetry of the aperture allows second harmonic peaks at normal incidence and detection. These measurements help to resolve the role that symmetry plays in second-harmonic generation from arrays of apertures.

Third-harmonic generation from arrays of sub-wavelength metal apertures

We measure third-harmonic generation (THG) from arrays of sub-wavelength metal apertures in transmission using fundamental input at 800 nm. Samples with different aperture spacings, sizes, and shapes are used. Strong angular dependence of THG is observed, with maxima located at incidence angles corresponding to extraordinary optical transmission (EOT) for the fundamental. We demonstrate an anomalous scaling of TH intensity with aperture size, where at different EOT peaks, the TH may either increase or decrease with aperture size. The aperture shape is also shown to have a strong effect on TH output.

Optical antenna design for fluorescence enhancement in the ultraviolet

Through rational design, we compare the performance of three plasmonic antenna structures for UV fluorescence enhancement. Among the antenna performance metrics considered are the local increase in excitation intensity and the increase in quantum efficiency, the product of which represents the net fluorescence enhancement. With realistic structures in aluminum, we predict that greater than 100× net enhancement can be obtained.

Plasmonic Coupling Effect in Ag Nanocap–Nanohole Pairs for Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering

A plasmonic coupling structure composed of Ag nanocap–nanohole pairs was fabricated through a novel and facile method. Both surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) measurements and numerical simulations show that the cap-hole system produces much larger electric field enhancement and SERS signal than the isolated structures, which is due to the plasmonic coupling effect between the gap of the cap and the hole. Additionally, the plasmonic enhancement is sensitive to the gap size, which can be controlled by the Ag layer thickness during the evaporation process. A maximum enhancement factor of 1.1×108 can be obtained with optimized gap size.

Mg thin films with Al seed layers for UV plasmonics

We demonstrate that the inclusion of aluminum (Al) seed layers allows for the growth of finer grain, smoother magnesium (Mg) films, allowing for improved plasmonic response in the UV spectral range. We deposit Al seed layers and Mg films using DC/RF magnetron sputtering. For Al seed layer thicknesses of 2, 5, 10 and 15 nm, we measure the corresponding optical constants over the wavelength range of 250 to 600 nm using a variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometer and compare the results to a reference 100 nm thick Mg film deposited without a seed layer. The optical constants of Mg depend on the seed layer thicknesses and the surface morphology of Mg films. The surface morphology of the Mg films are characterized using scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and x-ray diffraction and the surface oxide layer on Mg is examined using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. We observe that the presence of the seed layer improves the LSP figure of merit in the UV spectral range of 250–400 nm. From the perspective of plasmonics applications, we find that the best localized surface plasmon resonance (LSP) figures of merit are observed for the 10 nm thick Al seed layer. In fact, the LSP figure of merit of the 100 nm Mg film with and without the Al seed layer is found to be greater than Al films in the spectral range of 250–400 nm, confirming earlier findings with thicker Mg films.

UV fluorescence enhancement by Al and Mg nanoapertures

Aluminum and magnesium have a strong plasmonic response in the ultraviolet part of the spectrum. Due to the differences in their dielectric responses, however, there are qualitative differences in the fluorescence enhancement factors for Al and Mg nanoapertures. In order to make our results applicable to experimental studies, we further investigate fluorescence enhancement in these nanoapertures using UV emitters that excite near 270 nm and emit near 340 nm with both high and low quantum yields (QY). Our results suggest that Al nanoapertures may perform better for molecules with low QY, while Mg may perform better for molecules with high QY. We further consider the effects of bulk and surface oxidation of the two metals. In order to improve fluorescence enhancement, avoiding bulk oxidation during film deposition is important, although bulk oxidation could be used as an optimization parameter for some enhancement mechanisms.

Polarization Multiplexed Optical Bullseye Antennas

We present and analyze a novel optical antenna structure in the form of a polarization multiplexed bullseye antenna with a central nanoaperture. By adjusting the parameters of two, orthogonally oriented, partial bullseye structures, the resonance response for each polarization can be tailored to a specific wavelength. Constructing these dual-polarization structures in aluminum, we predict intra-aperture intensity enhancements exceeding 20 at two independent resonance wavelengths spanning the UV–visible spectrum. Moreover, these resonances share significant intra-aperture excitation volumes.

UV fluorescence lifetime modification by aluminum and magnesium nanoapertures

Ultra-violet (UV) fluorescence lifetime modification by aluminum (Al) and magnesium (Mg) nanoapertures are reported in this manuscript. Nanoapertures with diameter ranging from 30nm to 90nm are fabricated using focused ion beam (FIB). Largest lifetime reduction are observed for apertures with smallest diameters and undercuts into glass substrate. For Al nanoapertures, largest lifetime reduction is ∼5.30×, larger than perviously reported ∼3.50×.1 For Mg nanoapertures, largest lifetime reduction is ∼6.90×, which is the largest lifetime reduction of UV fluorescence dye reported so far in literature. The dependence of count rate per molecule (CRM) on aperture size and undercut is also investigated, revealing that CRM increases with increasing undercut, however, the CRM is small (less than 2) for the entire range of aperture size and undercut we investigated. FDTD simulation were conducted and in order to favorably compare experimental results with simulated results, it is critical to take into account the exact shape and material properties of the nano aperture. Simulation results revealed the fundamental difference between Al and Mg nano aperture under 266nm illumination-Mg nano aperture presents a waveguide mode in which the maximum field enhancement and Purcell factor is within the nano aperture instead of on the surface which is the case for Al nano aperture.

Influence of Hole Sizes and Adhesion Layers on the Third-Harmonic Generation from Sub-Wavelength Apertures

Third-harmonic generation from arrays of sub-wavelength apertures is measured. Strong angular dependence of THG is observed, which roughly corresponds to that of fundamental transmission. Influence of hole size and adhesion layers is also experimental studied.