Surface Plasmon Based Engineering of Semiconductor Nanowire Optics
Abstract
Semiconductor nanowires combine the material properties of semiconductors, which are ubiquitous in modern technology, with nanoscale dimensions and as such, are firmly poised at the forefront of nanotechnology research. The rich physics of semiconductor nanowire optics, in particular, arises from the increased interaction between light and matter that occurs when light is confined to dimensions below the size of its wavelength, in other words, when the nanowire serves as a light trapping optical cavity, which itself is also a source of light. Light confinement is taken to new extremes by coupling to the surface plasmon modes of metallic nanostructures, where light acquires mixed photonic and electronic character, and which may focus light to deep-subwavelength regions amenable to the dimensions of the electron wave. This thesis examines how the integration of "plasmonic optical cavities" and semiconductor nanowires leads to substantial modification (and enhancement) of the optical properties of the same, resulting in orders-of-magnitude faster and more efficient light emission with colors that may be tuned as a function of optical cavity geometry.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2014
- Accession Number
- AD1055538
Entities
People
- Carlos O. Aspetti
Organizations
- University of California, Irvine