Decorative Plasmonic Surfaces
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
> REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR PAPER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (DOUBLE-CLICK HERE TO EDIT) < 1 Decorative Plasmonic Surfaces Hamid T. Chorsi, Ying Zhu, and John X. J. Zhang However, the implementation of these concepts in real Abstract— Low-profile patterned plasmonic surfaces are microsystems are limited by a variety of factors, including synergized with a broad class of silicon microstructures to greatly technological challenges in realizing three-dimensional enhance near-field nanoscale imaging, sensing, and energy specific nano-structured patterns; inherent device sensitivity to harvesting coupled with far-field free-space detection. This fabrication induced disorder and losses; and experiment- concept has a clear impact on several key areas of interest for the guided modeling of structure interaction with photons across MEMS community, including but not limited to ultra-compact multiple scales. microsystems for sensitive detection of small number of target molecules, and “surface” devices for optical data storage, micro- Inspired by the concepts of optical metamaterials and the imaging and displaying. In this paper, we review the current peculiar features of plasmonic nanopatterns, “Plasmonic state-of-the-art in plasmonic theory as well as derive design microsystems” is an emerging field that is evolving into a guidance for plasmonic integration with microsystems, novel paradigm for the conception of optical plasmonic fabrication techniques, and selected applications in biosensing, surfaces. Plasmonic patterning is the 2-D sub-wavelength including refractive-index based label-free biosensing, plasmonic conformal arrangements of plasmonic nanoparticles, integrated lab-on-chip systems, plasmonic near-field scanning nanoantennas, and nanoapertures or nanogrooves to achieve optical microscopy and plasmonics on-chip systems for cellular unconventional optical wave interactions with nanoscale imaging. This paradigm enables low-profile conformal surfaces on microdevices, rather than bulk material or coatings, which surface structures. This provides a large degree of flexibility provide clear advantages for physical, chemical and biological- and enhanced features in overall response in imaging and related sensing, imaging, and light harvesting, in addition to sensing. easier realization, enhanced flexibility, and tunability. It should be noted that standard solutions to pattern the optical radiation are already available in the form of lenses, Index Terms—Microsystems, microelectromechanical Systems, reflectors and gratings [7-10]. However, these devices require plasmonic surface, micro/nano fabrication, plasmonics, relatively large sizes, do not offer easy tunability or flexibility biosensing. to direct the beam, and do not provide emission or radiation enhancement because they are simply based on the reflection and refraction properties of standard materials. On the other I. INTRODUCTION hand, properly patterned plasmonic surfaces on current and ecent advances in micro-nanoscale technology and in the future microelectromechanical (MEMS) devices may provide R understanding of the mechanisms of light interaction with much enhanced flexibility in the available degrees of freedom miniature structures have opened a wide range of to tailor the signal radiation, with additional features of possibilities in manipulating, tailoring, transmitting, and interest, such as tunability of the angle of radiation, significant processing near-field optical signals in the same way that overall emission enhancement, and extremely low profile. electric signals are successfully processed at lower frequencies [1-3]. Optical metamaterials [4-6] in particular exploit the resonant wave interaction of collections of plasmonic nanoparticles and are able to produce anomalous light interaction beyond naturally available optical materials. This paragraph of the first footnote will contain the date on which you submitted your paper for review. It will also contain support information, including sponsor and financial support acknowledgment. For example, “This work was supported in part by the U.S. Department of Commerce under Grant BS123456”. Fig. 1. Schematics of proposed concept: plasmonic microsystems surface H. T. Chorsi, Y. Zhu, and X.J. Zhang are with Thayer School of geometries combining optical plasmonic patterns of different nature to realize engineering, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755 USA. (e-mail: the bridge between nanoscale sensing, imaging and far-field optical radiation. [email protected],[email protected],John.Zhang@dartmo uth.edu). > REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR PAPER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (DOUBLE-CLICK HERE TO EDIT) < 2 In plasmonic microsystems, we need to thoroughly explore novel designs and geometries to flexibly manipulate optical B(r ,t ) radiation and emission. This can be accomplished through E(r ,t ) , (1) optical metasurfaces composed of nanopatterned arrays or t reflectors characterized by ultralow profile that are capable of D(r ,t ) enhancing light emission in the desired direction and tailoring H(rr ,tt ) J( , ), (2) the radiation pattern at will. These concepts may be applied to t both transmission and reception, and have the potential to D(rr ,tt ) ( , ), (3) create a much needed efficient and flexible transition link between MEMS based nanoscale sensing and imaging in the B(r ,t ) 0, (4) near-field (Fig. 1) and radiation and detection in the far-field. Implementing plasmonic microsystems involves the design, These equations couple the four macroscopic fields D (the technology and fabrication efforts intended at merging electric flux density), E (the electric field), H (the magnetic electromagnetic waves with electromechanical functions. This field), and B (the magnetic flux density) with the exterior technology provides a framework to combine current micro- charge (ρ) and current (J) densities. In terms of macroscopic electromagnetics, the properties of a medium can be generally scale devices with nano-scale plasmonic components exempt examined in terms of the polarization P and magnetization M from the diffraction limit. In particular, plasmonic according to: microsystems are formed when a nano-scale structure or D(r ,t ) E( r , t ) P( r , t ), (5) particle interacts or combines with a micro-dimension device. 0 Examples of plasmonic microsystems include gold 1 H(r ,t )0 B( r , t ) M( r , t ), (6) nanoparticles (dimensions are usually less than 100 nm) on top of solid surface such as silicon wafer or glass slide, or nano- Where ε0 and μ0 are the permittivity and the permeability of slit grooves on near-field scanning optical microscopy the vacuum, respectively. For an isotropic, linear, and (NSOM) probes. nonmagnetic approximation, the constitutive relations can be written as: This paper is organized as follows: Section II reviews the D(rr ,tt ) E( , ), (7) fundamental theories and phenomena that establish the basis 0 r for the study of plasmonic microsystems. Section III describes B(rr ,tt ) 0 r H( , ), (8) recent advances in the fabrication of sub-100-nm patterns on micro scale devices and structures. Section IV reviews the where εr and μr are the relative permittivity and relative recent developments in plasmonic microsystems for permeability, respectively. For a nonmagnetic medium we can biosensing applications, including refractive-index based flout the magnetic response, μr = 1. The last important label-free biosensing, plasmonic integrated lab-on-chip constitutive linear relationship is systems, plasmonic for NSOM and plasmonics on-chip system J(rr ,tt ) E( , ) (9) for cellular imaging. Section V presents our perspective on the where is conductivity. The wave equation is a useful current direction in plasmonic micromachining. Section VI description of many types of waves, from light and sound to concludes this paper. water waves. To derive the wave equation, we take the curl of Eq. (1). Using Eq. (2), for a source-free region, the wave II. THEORY equation can be written as Plasmonics is a field of science that explores plasmons; 2 2 E(r ,t ) collective oscillations of free electron clouds excited via E(r ,t ) , (10) 2 polarized waves. The field of plasmonics is key in exploring t ultrafast and miniaturized electronic, mechanical, and Here and are the electric permittivity (also called absolute biomedical devices. In this section, we first review the most permittivity, ) and magnetic permeability ( important theories and phenomena that form the basis for the 0 r study of plasmonic waves. We then summarize the theoretical 0 r ). Eq. (10) This is actually three equations, which physics presented in recent works on plasmonic microsystems. together comprise the x-, y- and z- vector components for the Finally, we review two important case studies on plasmonic E field vector. microsystems, namely, the plasmonic NSOM and surface manipulation using slits and nanogratings. B. Surface wave electromagnetics A. Electromagnetic theory Surface waves play a key role in studying properties of Electromagnetic wave interactions with metals can be fully condensed matter at the interface between two media. Surface described using the Maxwell’s equations in a conventional waves can be simply defined as waves propagating along the macroscopic framework. In macroscopic frame, charges of interface between two media and existing in both of them. singular nature and their coupled currents are approximated by Scientific interest in surface waves stems from their ability to referring to charge density ρ and current