Open AccessAluminum plasmonics: optimization of plasmonic properties using liquid-prism-coupled ellipsometry
Author(s) -
Kenneth Diest,
Vladimir Liberman,
Donna Len,
Paul B. Welander,
M. Rothschild
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.21.028638
Subject(s) - figure of merit , materials science , plasmon , ellipsometry , optics , surface plasmon , thin film , surface plasmon polariton , optical conductivity , drude model , transmittance , sputter deposition , optoelectronics , prism , surface roughness , sputtering , nanotechnology , condensed matter physics , physics , composite material
We have established a method to quantify and optimize the plasmonic behavior of aluminum thin films by coupling spectroscopic ellipsometry into surface plasmon polaritons using a liquid prism cell in a modified Otto configuration. This procedure was applied to Al thin films deposited by four different methods, as well as to single crystal Al substrates, to determine the broadband optical constants and calculate plasmonic figures of merit. The best performance was achieved with Al films that have been sputter-deposited at high temperatures of 350°C, followed by chemical mechanical polishing. This combination of temperature and post-processing produced aluminum films with both large grain size and low surface roughness. Comparing these figures of merit with literature values of gold, silver, and copper shows that at blue and ultraviolet wavelengths, optimized aluminum has the highest figure of merit of all materials studied. We further employ the Ashcroft and Sturm theory of optical conductivity to extract the electron scattering times for the Drude and effective interband transitions, interband transition energies, and the optical mass of electrons.