Self-Assembled Silver–Germanium Nanolayer Metamaterial with the Enhanced Nonlinear Response

TY - JOUR

T1 - Self-Assembled Silver–Germanium Nanolayer Metamaterial with the Enhanced Nonlinear Response

AU - Stefaniuk, Tomasz

AU - Olivier, Nicolas

AU - Belardini, Alessandro

AU - McPolin, Cillian

AU - Sibilia, Concita

AU - Wronkowska, Aleksandra A.

AU - Wronkowski, Andrzej

AU - Szoplik, Tomasz

AU - Zayats, Anatoly V.

PY - 2017/9/18

Y1 - 2017/9/18

N2 - Plasmonic metamaterials and metasurfaces are important for many linear and nonlinear photonic applications. Here, the possibility to control a nanostructured layer spontaneously formed near an interface of a thin silver film is shown, where the interplay between a grain boundary structure and surface segregation of germanium atoms leads to encapsulation of the grains and, as the result, formation of a composite metamaterial near the film surface. This Ag/Ge composite exhibits strong localized surface plasmon resonances at Ge-encapsulated silver grains, leading to extraordinary second harmonic generation for both transverse magnetic and transverse electric polarized fundamental light with up to two orders of magnitude enhancement compared to thin Ag films without Ge atoms. Segregation phenomena open the possibility for fabrication of a new class of composite materials and gives additional degree of freedom in designing optical properties of nanostructured metamaterials.

AB - Plasmonic metamaterials and metasurfaces are important for many linear and nonlinear photonic applications. Here, the possibility to control a nanostructured layer spontaneously formed near an interface of a thin silver film is shown, where the interplay between a grain boundary structure and surface segregation of germanium atoms leads to encapsulation of the grains and, as the result, formation of a composite metamaterial near the film surface. This Ag/Ge composite exhibits strong localized surface plasmon resonances at Ge-encapsulated silver grains, leading to extraordinary second harmonic generation for both transverse magnetic and transverse electric polarized fundamental light with up to two orders of magnitude enhancement compared to thin Ag films without Ge atoms. Segregation phenomena open the possibility for fabrication of a new class of composite materials and gives additional degree of freedom in designing optical properties of nanostructured metamaterials.

KW - Plasmonic Metamaterials

KW - Second Harmonic Generation

KW - Segregation

KW - Silver-Germanium Composites

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85034055612&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1002/adom.201700753

DO - 10.1002/adom.201700753

M3 - Article

SN - 2195-1071

VL - 5

JO - Advanced Optical Materials

JF - Advanced Optical Materials

IS - 22

ER -