Tunable Low Loss 1D Surface Plasmons in InAs Nanowires
Y. Zhou, R. Chen, J. Wang, Y. Huang, M. Li, Y. Xing, J. Duan, J. Chen, J. D. Farrell, H. Q. Xu and J. Chen
Advanced Materials, 1802551 (2018)
Due to the ability to manipulate photons at nanoscale, plasmonics has
become one of the most important branches in nanophotonics. The prerequisites
for the technological application of plasmons include high confining
ability (λ0/λp), low damping, and easy tunability. However, plasmons in
typical plasmonic materials, i.e., noble metals, cannot satisfy these three
requirements simultaneously and cause a disconnection to modern electronics.
Here, the indium arsenide (InAs) nanowire is identified as a material
that satisfies all the three prerequisites, providing a natural analogy with
modern electronics. The dispersion relation of InAs plasmons is determined
using the nanoinfrared imaging technique, and show that their associated
wavelengths and damping ratio can be tuned by altering the nanowire diameter
and dielectric environment. The InAs plasmons possess advantages such
as high confining ability, low loss, and ease of fabrication. The observation
of InAs plasmons could enable novel plasmonic circuits for future subwavelength
applications.