Determination of mode strengths in channel waveguide from the complex electric field.

We show that the mode strengths of a guided field in an arbitrary asymmetric channel waveguide can be uniquely determined from self-referencing interferometric measurements at the exit plane of the waveguide. This requires knowledge of both the amplitude and phase of the complex electric field distribution. Although the amplitude can be obtained from the measured intensity profile easily, the phase retrieval is usually non-trivial.

Diffusive Formation of Au/Ag Alloy Nanoparticles of Governed Composition in Glass.

For the first time we show that the introduction of silver ions in the glass containing gold nanoparticles (NPs) and additional heat treatment of the glass in the air lead to the formation of Au/Ag alloy NPs. The proposed approach makes it possible to position localized surface plasmon resonance of the NPs by selecting the heat treatment temperature, which determines the silver proportion in the alloy NPs. This allows for expanding customizability of NPs for applications in surface-enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopy, catalysis and biochemistry.

Controlled metallization of ion-exchanged glasses by thermal poling.

We present studies of the formation of silver nanoparticles (NPs) in silver-sodium ion-exchanged glasses by a combination of thermal poling and nanosecond pulsed laser irradiation at 355 nm. In poling, silver ions drift deeper into the glass and become separated from the glass surface by a poled layer depleted in cations. Performed measurements have indicated poling-induced broadening of silver ions depth distribution.

2D-patterning of self-assembled silver nanoisland films.

The paper is dedicated to the recently developed by the authors technique of silver nanoisland growth, allowing self-arrangement of 2D-patterns of nanoislands. The technique employs silver out-diffusion from ion-exchanged glass in the course of annealing in hydrogen. To modify the silver ion distribution in the exchanged soda-lime glass we included the thermal poling of the ion-exchanged glass with a profiled electrode as an intermediate stage of the process.

Erratum to: Plasmonic molecules via glass annealing in hydrogen.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/1556-276X-9-606.].

Plasmonic molecules via glass annealing in hydrogen.

Unlabelled: Growth of self-assembled metal nanoislands on the surface of silver ion-exchanged glasses via their thermal processing in hydrogen followed by out-diffusion of neutral silver is studied. The combination of thermal poling of the ion-exchanged glass with structured electrode and silver out-diffusion was used for simple formation of separated groups of several metal nanoislands presenting plasmonic molecules. The kinetics of nanoisland formation and temporal evolution of their size distribution on the surface of poled and unpoled glass are modeled.