Yang Haifang

The role of periodicity in enhanced transmission through subwavelength hole arrays

Two kinds of subwavelength hole arrays in metallic films are designed to verify the important role of the periodicity in enhanced transmission of light. The measured optical spectra show that the quasiperiodic hole arrays exhibit an enhanced transmission peak centred at 707 nm with a transmission intensity of about 20%, while no plasmon resonance peak is found for the amorphous hole arrays. When the hole diameter decreases in the quasiperiodic structure, the position of the transmission peak shifts slightly, and the transmittance drops. These phenomena indicate the important role of the long-range structural order (particularly the periodicity) in assisting the coupling of incident light wave with the surface plasmon modes of the metallic structures.

The influence of hole shape on enhancing transmission through subwavelength hole arrays

The extraordinary light transmission through a 200-nm thick gold film when passing through different subwavelength hole arrays is observed experimentally. The sample is fabricated by electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching system. A comparison between light transmissions shows that the hole shape changing from rectangular to diamond strongly affects the transmission intensity although both structures possess the same lattice constant of 600 nm. Moreover, the position of the transmission maximum undergoes a spectral red-shift of about 63 nm. Numerical simulations by using a transfer matrix method reproduce the observed transmission spectrum quite well.

Fabrication of high-quality submicron Nb/Al-AlOx/Nb tunnel junctions

Nb/Al–AlOx/Nb tunnel junctions are often used in the studies of macroscopic quantum phenomena and superconducting qubit applications of the Josephson devices. In this work, we describe a convenient and reliable process using electron beam lithography for the fabrication of high-quality, submicron-sized Nb/Al–AlOx/Nb Josephson junctions. The technique follows the well-known selective Nb etching process and produces high-quality junctions with Vm = 100 mV at 2.3 K for the typical critical current density of 2.2 kA/cm2, which can be adjusted by controlling the oxygen pressure and oxidation time during the formation of the tunnelling barrier. We present the results of the temperature dependence of the sub-gap current and in-plane magnetic-field dependence of the critical current, and compare them with the theoretical predictions.

Giant magnetic moment at open ends of multiwalled carbon nanotubes

(Received 14 October 2014; revised manuscript received 6 November 2014; published online 9 December 2014) The attractions of cantilevers made of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) and secured on one end are studied in the non-uniform magnetic field of a permanent magnet. Under an optical microscope, the positions and the corresponding deflections of the original cantilevers (with iron catalytic nanoparticles at the free end) and corresponding cut-off cantilevers (the free ends consisting of open ends of MWNTs) are studied. Both kinds of CNT cantilevers are found to be attracted by the magnet, and the point of application of force is proven to be at the tip of the cantilever. By measuring and comparing deflections between these two kinds of cantilevers, the magnetic moment at the open ends of the CNTs can be quantified. Due to the unexpectedly high value of the magnetic moment at the open ends of carbon nanotubes, it is called giant magnetic moment, and its possible mechanisms are proposed and discussed.