| dc.description.abstract |
<p>Expanding the role of plasmonics in tomorrow's technology requires a broader knowledge
base from which to develop such applications today. Several limitations to the current
plasmonics field limit progress to incremental advances within a narrow set of materials
and techniques rather than developing non-traditional metals and flexible growth and
characterization methods. The work described herein will provide an introduction
to the burgeoning field of spectroscopic ellipsometry for plasmonic characterization;
in particular, the power of its real-time monitoring capabilities and flexibility
will be demonstrated. More importantly, a novel plasmonic metal, gallium, is investigated
in detail. Critical characteristics of gallium for an array of applications include
its tunability over a wide spectral range, phase stability across a wide temperature
range, plasmon stability even after air exposure, and an ultra high vacuum evaporation
growth process enabling simple, alloyed nanostructure development. Deeper scientific
investigation of the underlying ripening mechanisms driving gallium nanoparticle formation
and in concert with in situ alloying paves the way for future work contributing to
the development of advanced nanostructured alloys. Finally, this work demonstrates
the first example of gallium nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy - an area craving
materials innovation. While the specific application of gallium for SERS detection
is interesting, the far-reaching implication lies in the demonstrated potential for
plasmonic gallium nanoparticles' ultimate use in a wider variety of applications enhanced
by nanoscale materials.</p>
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