title: Light-controlled plasmon switching using hybrid metal-semiconductor nanostructures.
abstract: We present a proof of concept for the dynamic control over the plasmon resonance frequencies in a hybrid metal-semiconductor nanoshell structure with Ag core and TiO(2) coating. Our method relies on the temporary change of the dielectric function ε of TiO(2) achieved through temporarily generated electron-hole pairs by means of a pump laser pulse. This change in ε leads to a blue shift of the Ag surface plasmon frequency. We choose TiO(2) as the environment of the Ag core because the band gap energy of TiO(2) is larger than the Ag surface plasmon energy of our nanoparticles, which allows the surface plasmon being excited without generating electron-hole pairs in the environment at the same time. We calculate the magnitude of the plasmon resonance shift as a function of electron-hole pair density and obtain shifts up to 126 nm at wavelengths around 460 nm. Using our results, we develop the model of a light-controlled surface plasmon polariton switch.
authors.affiliation: NanoScience Technology Center and Department of Physics, University of Central Florida, 12424 Research Parkway Suite 400, Orlando, Florida 32826, United States.
authors.forename: Hari P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Paudel
authors.forename: Michael N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Leuenberger
mesh_terms: D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000737:chemistry; D008422:Materials Testing; D053768:Metal Nanoparticles / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008968:Molecular Conformation; D010316:Particle Size; D012666:Semiconductors; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000295:instrumentation*; D020349:Surface Plasmon Resonance / Q000295:instrumentation*; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D046911:Macromolecular Substances