Impact of interface roughness on the performance of broadband blackbody absorber based on dielectric-metal film multilayers.

We report on factors affecting the performance of a broadband, mid-IR absorber based on multiple, alternating dielectric / metal layers. In particular, we investigate the effect of interface roughness. Atomic layer deposition produces both a dramatic suppression of the interface roughness and a significant increase in the optical absorption as compared to devices fabricated using a conventional thermal evaporation source.

Broadband and mid-infrared absorber based on dielectric-thin metal film multilayers.

We propose a periodic multilayer structure of dielectric and metal interlayers to achieve a near-perfect broadband absorber of mid-infrared radiation. We examine the influence of four factors on its performance: (1) the interlayer metal conductance, (2) the number of dielectric layers, (3) a nanopatterned antireflective layer, and (4) a reflective metallic bottom layer for backreflection. Absorption characteristics greater than 99% of the 300 K and 500 K blackbody spectra are found for the optimized structures.

Spacer layer effect in fluorescence enhancement from silver nanowires over a silver film; switching of optimum polarization.

We explore the role of coupling between silver nanowires and an underlying silver film in fluorescence enhancement from proximal molecules. Variation of the thickness of an oxide layer separating nanowire arrays from the Ag film causes an alternation in the incident light polarization that produces the highest enhancement. Finite difference time domain calculations show that it results from an alternation of regions of high field above and between nanowires as the spacer thickness is increased.

Enhanced fluorescence and near-field intensity for Ag nanowire/nanocolumn arrays: evidence for the role of surface plasmon standing waves.

We use scanning fluorescence microscopy and electron beam lithography to probe the mechanism of fluorescence enhancement by periodic arrays of silver nanostructures, determining the optimum size and spacing of both Ag nanowires and Ag nanocolumns for incident light of different wavelengths and polarizations. Finite difference time domain (FDTD) calculations show a systematic variation with spatial period and incident polarization of the local electric field above the surface of the arrays which correlate well with that of the measured fluorescence enhancement, but a lack of a simple proportionality indicates that the dependence of the radiative and nonradiative decay rates on array geometry must be included in models for this effect. The dependence of the enhancement on spatial period and polarization indicates the importance of surface plasmon standing waves in this effect.