Probing localised surface plasmon resonances in the TEM: overcoming the limitation of time-averaged intensity mapping with novel beam shaping methods.

Small (submicron) metal particles interact with light in a peculiar way. Their optical properties (i.e. the colours of light they absorb or reflect) are determined by their size and shape, like the harmonics that define the sound of an organ pipe. The "harmonics" of a metal particle are called surface plasmon resonances (SPR). If SPRs can be correctly understood and harnessed, they offer the possibility to manipulate light as effectively as is done now with radio waves, allowing to produce (among others) better photovoltaics and LEDs, better chemical sensors, and integrated optical devices of much smaller size. An instrument often used to study SPRs is the transmission electron microscope (TEM). TEMs allow to observe phenomena at the nanoscale by passing a beam of high energy electrons through a sample and can achieve atomic scale resolution. The TEM is of great use to study metal particles: besides visualising their shape and structure, it allows to study the electromagnetic fields related to the SPRs. However, while this allows to visualise the harmonics, it doesn't provide all information about them. Using conventional methods, we only obtain a time-averaged view of their amplitude. With this project we want study an entirely new setup that we have recently demonstrated. It is based on altering the "quantum wave function" of a TEM's electron beam to selectively detect SPRs of a chosen shape and symmetry, helping determine their exact properties.

Keywords:SOLID STATE PHYSICS

Disciplines:Ceramic and glass materials, Materials science and engineering, Semiconductor materials, Other materials engineering

Project type:Collaboration project