Towards nano-scale photonics with micro-scale photons: the opportunities and challenges of mid-infrared plasmonics

Surface plasmon polaritons and their localized counterparts, surface plasmons, are widely used at visible and near-infrared (near-IR) frequencies to confine, enhance, and manipulate light on the subwavelength scale. At these frequencies, surface plasmons serve as enabling mechanisms for future on-ch...

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Main Authors: Law Stephanie, Podolskiy Viktor, Wasserman Daniel
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: De Gruyter 2013-04-01
Series:Nanophotonics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2012-0027
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spelling doaj-3685250d930c460facfcd1ed4f7fb07d2021-09-06T19:20:28ZengDe GruyterNanophotonics2192-86062192-86142013-04-012210313010.1515/nanoph-2012-0027Towards nano-scale photonics with micro-scale photons: the opportunities and challenges of mid-infrared plasmonicsLaw Stephanie0Podolskiy Viktor1Wasserman Daniel2University of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Urbana, IL, USAUniversity of Massachusetts Lowell, Department of Physics and Applied Physics, One University Ave., Lowell, MA, USAUniversity of Illinois Urbana Champaign, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Urbana, IL, USASurface plasmon polaritons and their localized counterparts, surface plasmons, are widely used at visible and near-infrared (near-IR) frequencies to confine, enhance, and manipulate light on the subwavelength scale. At these frequencies, surface plasmons serve as enabling mechanisms for future on-chip communications architectures, high-performance sensors, and high-resolution imaging and lithography systems. Successful implementation of plasmonics-inspired solutions at longer wavelengths, in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) frequency range, would benefit a number of highly important technologies in health- and defense-related fields that include trace-gas detection, heat-signature sensing, mimicking, and cloaking, and source and detector development. However, the body of knowledge of visible/near-IR frequency plasmonics cannot be easily transferred to the mid-IR due to the fundamentally different material response of metals in these two frequency ranges. Therefore, mid-IR plasmonic architectures for subwavelength light manipulation require both new materials and new geometries. In this work we attempt to provide a comprehensive review of recent approaches to realize nano-scale plasmonic devices and structures operating at mid-IR wavelengths. We first discuss the motivation for the development of the field of mid-IR plasmonics and the fundamental differences between plasmonics in the mid-IR and at shorter wavelengths. We then discuss early plasmonics work in the mid-IR using traditional plasmonic metals, illuminating both the impressive results of this work, as well as the challenges arising from the very different behavior of metals in the mid-IR, when compared to shorter wavelengths. Finally, we discuss the potential of new classes of mid-IR plasmonic materials, capable of mimicking the behavior of traditional metals at shorter wavelengths, and allowing for true subwavelength, and ultimately, nano-scale confinement at long wavelengths.https://doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2012-0027localized surface plasmonsmid-infrarednanophotonicsoptical sensingplasmonicssubwavelength opticssurface plasmon polaritons
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Law Stephanie
Podolskiy Viktor
Wasserman Daniel
spellingShingle Law Stephanie
Podolskiy Viktor
Wasserman Daniel
Towards nano-scale photonics with micro-scale photons: the opportunities and challenges of mid-infrared plasmonics
Nanophotonics
localized surface plasmons
mid-infrared
nanophotonics
optical sensing
plasmonics
subwavelength optics
surface plasmon polaritons
author_facet Law Stephanie
Podolskiy Viktor
Wasserman Daniel
author_sort Law Stephanie
title Towards nano-scale photonics with micro-scale photons: the opportunities and challenges of mid-infrared plasmonics
title_short Towards nano-scale photonics with micro-scale photons: the opportunities and challenges of mid-infrared plasmonics
title_full Towards nano-scale photonics with micro-scale photons: the opportunities and challenges of mid-infrared plasmonics
title_fullStr Towards nano-scale photonics with micro-scale photons: the opportunities and challenges of mid-infrared plasmonics
title_full_unstemmed Towards nano-scale photonics with micro-scale photons: the opportunities and challenges of mid-infrared plasmonics
title_sort towards nano-scale photonics with micro-scale photons: the opportunities and challenges of mid-infrared plasmonics
publisher De Gruyter
series Nanophotonics
issn 2192-8606
2192-8614
publishDate 2013-04-01
description Surface plasmon polaritons and their localized counterparts, surface plasmons, are widely used at visible and near-infrared (near-IR) frequencies to confine, enhance, and manipulate light on the subwavelength scale. At these frequencies, surface plasmons serve as enabling mechanisms for future on-chip communications architectures, high-performance sensors, and high-resolution imaging and lithography systems. Successful implementation of plasmonics-inspired solutions at longer wavelengths, in the mid-infrared (mid-IR) frequency range, would benefit a number of highly important technologies in health- and defense-related fields that include trace-gas detection, heat-signature sensing, mimicking, and cloaking, and source and detector development. However, the body of knowledge of visible/near-IR frequency plasmonics cannot be easily transferred to the mid-IR due to the fundamentally different material response of metals in these two frequency ranges. Therefore, mid-IR plasmonic architectures for subwavelength light manipulation require both new materials and new geometries. In this work we attempt to provide a comprehensive review of recent approaches to realize nano-scale plasmonic devices and structures operating at mid-IR wavelengths. We first discuss the motivation for the development of the field of mid-IR plasmonics and the fundamental differences between plasmonics in the mid-IR and at shorter wavelengths. We then discuss early plasmonics work in the mid-IR using traditional plasmonic metals, illuminating both the impressive results of this work, as well as the challenges arising from the very different behavior of metals in the mid-IR, when compared to shorter wavelengths. Finally, we discuss the potential of new classes of mid-IR plasmonic materials, capable of mimicking the behavior of traditional metals at shorter wavelengths, and allowing for true subwavelength, and ultimately, nano-scale confinement at long wavelengths.
topic localized surface plasmons
mid-infrared
nanophotonics
optical sensing
plasmonics
subwavelength optics
surface plasmon polaritons
url https://doi.org/10.1515/nanoph-2012-0027
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