Open AccessRealistic Silver Optical Constants for Plasmonics
Author(s) -
Yajie Jiang,
Supriya Pillai,
Martin A. Green
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
scientific reports
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.24
H-Index - 213
ISSN - 2045-2322
DOI - 10.1038/srep30605
Subject(s) - overlayer , plasmon , silicon nitride , materials science , silicon , reliability (semiconductor) , conductor , ellipsometry , focus (optics) , optoelectronics , nanotechnology , computer science , optics , composite material , thin film , chemistry , physics , power (physics) , quantum mechanics
Silver remains the preferred conductor for optical and near-infrared plasmonics. Many high-profile studies focus exclusively on performance simulation in such applications. Almost invariably, these use silver optical data either from Palik’s 1985 handbook or, more frequently, an earlier Johnson and Christy (J&C) tabulation. These data are inconsistent, making it difficult to ascertain the reliability of the simulations. The inconsistency stems from challenges in measuring representative properties of pristine silver, due to tarnishing on air exposure. We demonstrate techniques, including use of silicon-nitride membranes, to access the full capabilities of multiple-angle, spectrometric-ellipsometry to generate an improved data set, representative of overlayer-protected, freshly-deposited silver films on silicon-nitride and glass.