Optical properties of metallic nanostructured films and solids

拟议的研究计划将全面研究金属纳米颗粒和纳米结构的光学特性，这些纳米颗粒和纳米结构为各种应用中的创新设备的设计提供独特的特性，包括光通信、光存储、传感和非线性效应。例如，设计一种高度集成的光学设备的可能性，其结构元素小于光波长，可以提供一种引导和操纵光的手段，这是一个非常令人兴奋的前景，促使一些研究人员将其视为纳米技术的“下一件大事”。人们对由小金属颗粒或表面等离子体材料组成的材料(表面等离子体的激发--电子的集体振荡--在金属颗粒中是可能的)重新产生兴趣，主要是因为我们现在能够制造出精确的纳米颗粒和纳米壳层(由金属壳层覆盖的介电颗粒)及其周期性规则阵列，这些阵列可以显示出针对特定应用而量身定做的光子晶体特性(选择性的全透光或反射光)。这种可能性要求对纳米颗粒(或纳米壳)的性质进行严格的研究，这些性质往往与整体性质非常不同，并需要对颗粒阵列性质进行密集的理论建模。鉴于对这一新的和非常重要的战略研究领域的重大贡献，提出了包括纳米颗粒和纳米结构的制备在内的实验过程和理论建模的新方法。特别是，将探索在光波导和传感方面的潜在应用。这项工作将与一家NRC研究所合作进行，该研究所可以为制造纳米结构提供最先进的纳米压印光刻技术。几名研究生将在我们的研究项目的不同方面接受培训。

The research program proposed will study in a comprehensive way the optical properties of metallic nanoparticles and nanostructures that offer unique properties for the design of innovative devices in a variety of applications that include optical communication, optical storing, sensing and non-linear effects. The possibility of designing for example a highly integrated optical device with structural elements smaller than the light wavelength that can offer a means for guiding and manipulating light is a very exciting prospect, prompting some researchers to consider this as the "next big thing" in nanotechnology. The renewed interest in materials consisting of small metallic particles or surface-plasmon materials (excitation of surface plasmons- collective oscillations of electrons-is possible in metallic particles) derives principally from the fact that we are now able to fabricate with precision nanoparticles and nanoshells (dielectric particles covered by a metallic shell) and their periodic regular arrays that can exhibit photonic crystal properties (selective total transmission or reflection of light) tailored to a specific application. Such a possibility calls for a rigorous study of nanoparticle (or nanoshell) properties that are often very different from bulk properties and intensive theoretical modeling of particle array properties. New approaches both for experimental procedures, including fabrication of nanoparticles and nanostructures, and theoretical modeling are proposed in view of a significant contribution to this new and very important strategic field of research. In particular, potential applications in optical waveguiding and in sensing will be explored. The work will be conducted in collaboration with a NRC institute which can offer a most advanced NanoImprint Lithography technology for the fabrication of nanostructures. Several graduate students will be trained in diverse aspects of our research program.