Disentangling electrons and lattice nonlinear optical response in metal-dielectric Bragg filters

Year: 2014

Authors: Dal Conte S., Conforti M., Petti D., Albisetti E., Longhi S., Bertacco R., De Angelis C., Cerullo G., Della Valle G.

Autors Affiliation: Istituto di Fotonica a Nanotecnologie, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Piazza L. da Vinci 32, I-20133 Milano, Italy;
Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano, Piazza L. da Vinci 32, I-20133 Milano, Italy;
CNISM, Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell’Informazione, Università di Brescia, Via Branze 38, I-25123 Brescia, Italy;
PhLAM/IRCICA CNRS–Université Lille 1, UMR 8523/USR 3380, F-59655 Villeneuve d’Ascq, France;
L-NESS and CNISM, Dipartimento di Fisica, Politecnico di Milano–Polo di Como, Via Anzani 42, I-22100 Como, Italy

Abstract: We investigate by broadband femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy the transient optical response of a metaldielectric Bragg filter (MDBF) made of thin layers of gold and fused silica. A quantitative comparison of the experimental results with a semiclassical model with no fitting parameters allows us to disentangle all the different contributions to the transient optical response of the MDBF, which include the ultrafast dynamics of thermalized and nonthermalized electrons as well as of lattice phonons excited in the metal layers. Furthermore, we provide a quantitative comparison of the optical response of the MDBF with that of a single gold layer under comparable excitation conditions. The results clearly show the advantages and disadvantages of the multilayer configuration in terms of all-optical-modulation capability.

Journal/Review: PHYSICAL REVIEW B

Volume: 89 (12)      Pages from: 125122  to: 125122

More Information: This work was supported by Fondazione Cariplo through the projects \”Engineering of Optical Nonlinearities in Plasmonic Metamaterials\” (Grant No. 2010-0595) and \”New Frontiers in Plasmonic Nanosensing\” (Grant No. 2011-0338). G. C. acknowledges support by the EC under Graphene Flagship (Contract No. CNECT-ICT-604391). E.A., D.P., and R.B. acknowledge Monica Bollani for the SEM images.
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.89.125122

Citations: 15
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