Tuning the plasmonic behavior of metallic nanowires

• Silver and gold nanowires were prepared on laser patterned PET substrate by vacuum evaporation.
• Second evaporation process was performed to achieve wires with various width and chemical composition.
• Geometry of the wires and the local elemental distribution was studied with FIB–SEM and EDS respectively.
• Surface plasmon resonance of prepared wires was investigated using spectroscopic ellipsometry in transmission mode.

The Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) of metallic nanowire arrays was studied as a function of wire thickness and composition. Ripple-like periodic structures on polymer foils were produced using an excimer laser. Nanowire arrays were prepared on these nano-patterned polymer surfaces via vacuum evaporation of silver and gold at grazing angle of incidence. Different widths of the wires were obtained by a second grazing incidence evaporation process on the still uncoated side of the polymer ridges. Using different metals for each deposition step, mixed nanowires were prepared. The sample geometry was analyzed by FIB–SEM. The optical properties of the nanowires were studied by polarization resolved optical transmission spectroscopy revealing systematic shifts of the plasmon peak with respect to composition and width of the wires.

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