Characterization of metallic nano-particles via surface wave scattering: B. Physical concept and numerical experiments

We present a methodology to characterize nanometer-size particles on or near a surface via surface-wave scattering. With a series of simulations, we show that the size of nano-particles on a metallic surface can be determined unambiguously from the angular profile of the elliptical polarization of scattered waves expressed as normalized scattering Mueller matrix elements Mij. This characterization modality is based on the interaction of particles on a surface with the evanescent waves. The particle-surface interactions become less pronounced with separation distance, and the scattering of evanescent waves by nano-particles does not show any significant size dependence. The results suggest that it is possible to monitor the self-assembly process of metallic particles on metallic surfaces in real time, which is crucial for on-line control in bottom-up nano-manufacturing processes.