High Resolution Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy of Plasmonic Nanostructures

This dissertation discusses developing fabrication techniques to study the plasmonic phenomena of nanostructures utilizing high spatial and energy resolution of monochromated aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron. While standard lithography has been widely used to create planar nanostructures, investigation into 3-dimensional nanostructures is lacking. A robust synthesis approach utilizing focused electron beam induced deposition, atomic layer deposition, and thin film sputter deposition to fabricate complex 3D plasmonic architectures is described and characterization of single nanoresonators is presented. Additionally, this dissertation discusses the use of high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy to investigate the hybridization of gold nanorod oligomers. Experiment and simulation resolve magnetic and electric dipole resonances in the cyclic assemblies. Finally, the hybridization of split ring resonators is discussed. Both planar and 3D SRR arrangements are investigated to reveal the coupling dynamics in the systems.