seed projects

Bethanie Stadler, Vivian Ferry, Mo Li: Magneto-Plasmonic Integrated Materials

Metal-based plasmonic nanostructures can concentrate optical fields to the sub-wavelength scale and thus significantly enhance light-matter interactions. This seed will advance plasmonics with the integration of conventional noble metals and novel garnets (Figure 35), to achieve and explore (i) enhanced non-reciprocal (Faraday) light propagation and transmission in metal/garnet matrices for optical isolation, spatial light modulation, and photovoltaics; (ii) garnet plasmonic crystals controlled by a magnetic field; and (iii) metal/garnet meta-materials to generate novel optical states for sensing, optical trapping and light manipulation. To achieve monolithic integration of novel garnets on Si with noble metals, Stadler will develop sputtering processes for new garnets that have left- and right-handed gyrotropy. Ferry and Li will collaborate to design magnetophotonic crystals. Stadler will synthesize crystals as patterned metal films on top of the garnet films, and as composite materials with long-range order using template growth. Ferry will model defects, such as surface roughness and dimensional distributions, and Li will characterize the structures for optimization of the magneto-plasmonic properties

Metal nanoparticles on or inside a magneto-optical garnet matrix with periodic photonic crystal designed to allow magnetic control of light.

Funded by the National Science Foundation through the University of Minnesota MRSEC under Award Number DMR-1420013