nl401641v_si_001.pdf (372.47 kB)
Self-Assembly Based Plasmonic Arrays Tuned by Atomic Layer Deposition for Extreme Visible Light Absorption
journal contribution
posted on 2013-07-10, 00:00 authored by Carl Hägglund, Gabriel Zeltzer, Ricardo Ruiz, Isabell Thomann, Han-Bo-Ram Lee, Mark L. Brongersma, Stacey F. BentAchieving
complete absorption of visible light with a minimal amount
of material is highly desirable for many applications, including solar
energy conversion to fuel and electricity, where benefits in conversion
efficiency and economy can be obtained. On a fundamental level, it
is of great interest to explore whether the ultimate limits in light
absorption per unit volume can be achieved by capitalizing on the
advances in metamaterial science and nanosynthesis. Here, we combine
block copolymer lithography and atomic layer deposition to tune the
effective optical properties of a plasmonic array at the atomic scale.
Critical coupling to the resulting nanocomposite layer is accomplished
through guidance by a simple analytical model and measurements by
spectroscopic ellipsometry. Thereby, a maximized absorption of light
exceeding 99% is accomplished, of which up to about 93% occurs in
a volume-equivalent thickness of gold of only 1.6 nm. This corresponds
to a record effective absorption coefficient of 1.7 × 107 cm–1 in the visible region, far exceeding
those of solid metals, graphene, dye monolayers, and thin film solar
cell materials. It is more than a factor of 2 higher than that previously
obtained using a critically coupled dye J-aggregate, with a peak width
exceeding the latter by 1 order of magnitude. These results thereby
substantially push the limits for light harvesting in ultrathin, nanoengineered
systems.
History
Usage metrics
Categories
Keywords
nanoengineered systemsAtomic Layer Depositionlayer depositionabsorption coefficientunit volumelight absorptionenergy conversionnanocomposite layer1.6 nmspectroscopic ellipsometrypeak widthdye monolayersmetamaterial scienceblock copolymer lithographylight harvestingconversion efficiencycell materialsExtreme Visible Light AbsorptionAchievingplasmonic arrayPlasmonic Arrays Tuned1 order
Licence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC