Quantum-Spillover-Enhanced Surface-Plasmonic Absorption at the Interface of Silver and High-Index Dielectrics

We demonstrate an unexpectedly strong surface-plasmonic absorption at the interface of silver and high-index dielectrics based on electron and photon spectroscopy. The measured bandwidth and intensity of absorption deviate significantly from the classical theory. Our density-functional calculation w...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors Jin, Dafei, Hu, Qing, Neuhauser, Daniel, von Cube, Felix, Yang, Yingyi, Sachan, Ritesh, Luk, Ting S, Bell, David C, Fang, Nicholas X
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published 29.04.2015
Subjects
Physics - Materials Science
Physics - Optics
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Summary:We demonstrate an unexpectedly strong surface-plasmonic absorption at the interface of silver and high-index dielectrics based on electron and photon spectroscopy. The measured bandwidth and intensity of absorption deviate significantly from the classical theory. Our density-functional calculation well predicts the occurrence of this phenomenon. It reveals that due to the low metal-to-dielectric work function at such interfaces, conduction electrons can display a drastic quantum spillover, causing the interfacial electron-hole pair production to dominate the decay of surface plasmons. This finding can be of fundamental importance in understanding and designing quantum nano-plasmonic devices that utilize noble metals and high-index dielectrics.
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.1504.07867