Plasmonics

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Plasmonics, an emerging branch of nanophotonics, studies properties of collective electronic excitations (known as surface plasmons) in thin films or nanostructures of noble metals. It offers an opportunity to merge photonics and electronics at nanoscale dimensions, and to realize very large scale electronics and photonics integration (VLSEPI).

In the Penn State BioNEMS laboratory, we aim to (1) investigate interactions of light and metal at nanoscale to address fundamental issues of surface plasmons, (2) develop cost-effective and high-throughput nanofabrication techniques and nanoengineering methods to produce plasmonic nanostructures for different applications (Fig. 1), and (3) design, model and fabricate active plasmonic devices to benefit information technology, and medical diagnosis and therapy (Fig. 2).

Figure 1: (a) SEM image of ordered Au nanodisk array on glass substrates produced with nanosphere lithography technique. (b) Experimental data showing the sensitivity of localized surface plasmon resonance of the Au nanodisk array to changes in the surroundings’ refractive index.1	Figure 2: Schematic of an all-optical active plasmonic switch based on Au nanodisk array embedded in azobenzene-doped liquid crystals (LCs).4

1. Yuebing Zheng, Bala Krishna Juluri, Xiaole Mao, Thomas R. Walker, Tony Jun Huang, Systematic Investigation of Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance of Long-Range Ordered Au Nanodisk Arrays, Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 103, 014308, 2008. [PDF]
2. Yuebing Zheng, Tony Jun Huang, Amit Yogesh Desai, Shi Jie Wang, Lee Kheng Tan, Han Gao, Alfred Cheng Hon Huan, Thermal Behavior of Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance of Au/TiO2 Core/Shell Nanoparticle Arrays, Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 90, No. 18, 183117, 2007. [PDF]
3. Bala Krishna Juluri, Yue Bing Zheng, Daniel Ahmed, Lasse Jensen, Tony Jun Huang, Effects of Geometry and Composition on Charge-Induced Plasmonic Shifts in Gold Nanoparticles, Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2008 (accepted).
4. Vincent K. S. Hsiao, Yuebing Zheng, Bala Krishna Juluri, Tony Jun Huang, Light-Driven Plasmonic Switches Based on Au Nanodisk Arrays and Photoresponsive Liquid Crystals, Advanced Materials, 2008 (accepted).