title: Self-assembled ErSb nanostructures with optical applications in infrared and terahertz.
abstract: Plasmonic effects have proven to be very efficient in coupling light to structures much smaller than its wavelength. Efficient coupling is particularly important for the infrared or terahertz (λ ∼ 0.3 mm) region where semiconductor structures and devices may be orders of magnitude smaller than the wavelength and this can be achieved through nanostructures that have a desired plasmonic response. We report and demonstrate a self-assembly method of embedding controllable semimetallic nanostructures in a semiconducting matrix in a ErSb/GaSb material system grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The plasmonic properties of the ErSb/GaSb are characterized and quantified by three polarization-resolved spectroscopy techniques, spanning more than 3 orders of magnitude in frequency from 100 GHz up to 300 THz. Surface plasmons cause the semimetallic nanostructures to resonate near 100 THz (3 μm wavelength), indicating the semimetal as a potential infrared plasmonic material. The highly conductive ErSb nanowires polarize electromagnetic radiation in a broad range from 0.2 up to ∼100 THz, providing a new platform for electromagnetics in the infrared and terahertz frequency ranges.
authors.affiliation: Materials Department and Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and ‡Department of Physics and the Institute for Terahertz Science and Technology, University of California , Santa Barbara, California, United States.
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Daniel G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Ouellette
authors.forename: Sascha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Preu
authors.forename: Justin D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Watts
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zaks
authors.forename: Peter G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Burke
authors.forename: Mark S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Sherwin
authors.forename: Arthur C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Gossard