Benchmarking the Use of Heavily-Doped Ge Against Noble Metals for Plasmonics and Sensing in the Mid-Infrared

Pellegrini, G., Baldassarre, L., Giliberti, V., Frigerio, J., Gallacher, K. , Paul, D. J. , Isella, G., Ortolani, M. and Biagioni, P. (2016) Benchmarking the Use of Heavily-Doped Ge Against Noble Metals for Plasmonics and Sensing in the Mid-Infrared. In: 41st International Conference on Infrared, Millimeter, and Terahertz Waves (IRMMW-THz 2016), Copenhagen, Denmark, 25-30 Sept 2016, ISBN 9781467384858 (doi: 10.1109/IRMMW-THz.2016.7758628)

Abstract

Despite the recent introduction of heavily-doped semiconductors for mid-infrared plasmonics, it still remains an open point whether such materials can compete with noble metals. We employ a whole set of figures of merit to thoroughly assess the use of heavily-doped Ge on Si as a mid-infrared plasmonic material and benchmark it against standard noble metals such as Au. In doing this, we design and model high-performance, CMOS compatible mid-infrared plasmonic sensors based on experimental material data reaching plasma frequencies up to about 1950 cm−1. We demonstrate that plasmonic Ge sensors can provide signal enhancements for vibrational spectroscopy above 3 orders of magnitude, thus representing a viable alternative to noble metals.

• Item Type: Conference Proceedings
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Paul, Professor Douglas and Gallacher, Dr Kevin
• Authors: Pellegrini, G., Baldassarre, L., Giliberti, V., Frigerio, J., Gallacher, K., Paul, D. J., Isella, G., Ortolani, M., and Biagioni, P.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering; College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Electronics and Nanoscale Engineering
• ISSN: 2162-2035
• ISBN: 9781467384858
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2016 IEEE
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
63445	1	GEMINI	Douglas Paul	European Commission (EC)	613055	ENG - ENGINEERING ELECTRONICS & NANO ENG