• Joly, Alan G.
• Peppernick, Samuel J.
• Hess, Wayne P.
• Beck, Kenneth M.

Abstract

We present results of a combined two-photon photoemission and scanning electron microscopy investigation to determine the electromagnetic enhancement factors of silver-coated spherical nanoparticles deposited on an atomically flat mica substrate. Femtosecond laser excitation, of the nanoparticles, produces intense photoemission, attributed to near-resonant excitation of localized surface plasmons. Enhancement factors are determined by comparing the respective two-photon photoemission yield measured for equal areas between single nanoparticles to that of the surrounding flat surface. For s-polarized, 400 nm (~ 3.1 eV) femtosecond radiation a distribution of enhancement factors are found with a large percentage (77%) of the nanoparticles falling within a median range. A correlated scanning electron microscopy analysis demonstrated that the nanoparticles typifying the median of the distribution were characterized by ideal spherical shapes and defect-free morphologies. The single largest enhancement factors were in contrast produced by a very small percentage (8%) of the total, for which evidence of silver defect anomalies were found that contributed to the overall structure of the nanoparticle. Comparisons are made between the experimentally measured enhancement factors and previously reported theoretical predictions of the localized surface plasmon near-field intensities for isolated nanometer-sized silver spheres.

Topics

• nanoparticle
• surface
• silver
• scanning electron microscopy
• defect