Surface Plasmon Enhanced Heating of Gold Nanoparticles: A Plasmonic Optical Switch

Author

Philip Gareth Evans, University of Tennessee - Knoxville

Date of Award

5-2007

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Physics

Major Professor

Thomas. L. Ferrell

Committee Members

Marianne Breinig, Thomas Callcott, Ida Lee, John Quinn

Abstract

Recent work by Lereu et al. (Appl. Phys. Lett. Vol. 86, 154101, 2005) demonstrates a method of all-optical transfer of modulation signals using surface plasmon excitation on thin gold films. Localized heating of the film, resulting from surface plasmon decay, alter the optical properties of the device. A similar optical modulation method is now presented using gold nanoparticles. Computational models are used to generate realistic values of the thermo-optical response of gold and the thermal dynamics of a hot nanoparticle-substrate device. Differential pump-probe reflectivity measurements were perferomed and demonstrate modulation frequencies of upto 10kHz, an improvement of two orders of magnitude over the thin-film device. Sample fabrication techniques using physical vapor deposition and interference lithography, and heat transport on the nanoscale are also discussed.

Recommended Citation

Evans, Philip Gareth, "Surface Plasmon Enhanced Heating of Gold Nanoparticles: A Plasmonic Optical Switch. " PhD diss., University of Tennessee, 2007.
https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_graddiss/164