Ultra-thin ultra-smooth and low-loss silver films on a germanium wetting layer

Weiqiang Chen, Mark D. Thoreson, Satoshi Ishii, Alexander V. Kildishev, Vladimir M. Shalaev

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We demonstrate a method to fabricate ultra-thin, ultra-smooth and low-loss silver (Ag) films using a very thin germanium (Ge) layer as a wetting material and a rapid post-annealing treatment. The addition of a Ge wetting layer greatly reduces the surface roughness of Ag films deposited on a glass substrate by electron-beam evaporation. The percolation threshold of Ag films and the minimal thickness of a uniformly continuous Ag film were significantly reduced using a Ge wetting layer in the fabrication. A rapid post-annealing treatment is demonstrated to reduce the loss of the ultra-thin Ag film to the ideal values allowed by the quantum size effect in smaller grains. Using the same wetting method, we have also extended our studies to ultra-smooth silver-silica lamellar composite films with ultra-thin Ag sublayers.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)5124-5134
Number of pages11
JournalOptics Express
Volume18
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1 2010

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics

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