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Survey of plasmonic gaps tuned at sub-nanometer scale in self-assembled arrays

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  • Published: 01 April 2016
  • volume 11, Article number: 115204 (2016)
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Survey of plasmonic gaps tuned at sub-nanometer scale in self-assembled arrays
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  • Li-Hua Qian1,2,
  • Li-Zhi Yi1,
  • Gui-Sheng Wang1,
  • Chao Zhang1,2 &
  • …
  • Song-Liu Yuan1 

  • 921 Accesses

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Abstract

Creating nanoscale and sub-nanometer gaps between noble metal nanoparticles is critical for the applications of plasmonics and nanophotonics. To realize simultaneous attainments of both the optical spectrum and the gap size, the ability to tune these nanoscale gaps at the sub-nanometer scale is particularly desirable. Many nanofabrication methodologies, including electron beam lithography, self-assembly, and focused ion beams, have been tested for creating nanoscale gaps that can deliver significant field enhancement. Here, we survey recent progress in both the reliable creation of nanoscale gaps in nanoparticle arrays using self-assemblies and in the in-situ tuning techniques at the sub-nanometer scale. Precisely tunable gaps, as we expect, will be good candidates for future investigations of surface-enhanced Raman scattering, non-linear optics, and quantum plasmonics.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Li-Hua Qian, Li-Zhi Yi, Gui-Sheng Wang, Chao Zhang & Song-Liu Yuan

  2. Flexible Electronics Center, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Li-Hua Qian & Chao Zhang

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  2. Li-Zhi Yi
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Correspondence to Li-Hua Qian.

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Qian, LH., Yi, LZ., Wang, GS. et al. Survey of plasmonic gaps tuned at sub-nanometer scale in self-assembled arrays. Front. Phys. 11, 115204 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11467-016-0567-4

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  • Received: 18 December 2015

  • Accepted: 25 January 2016

  • Published: 01 April 2016

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11467-016-0567-4

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Keywords

  • surface plasmon
  • tunable
  • plasmonic gap
  • quantum plasmon
  • surface-enhanced Raman scattering
  • self-assembly
  • nanoparticle array

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