Investigation of the Optical Nonlinearity for Au Plasmonic Nanoparticles Based on Ion Implantation

Abstract

The Au ion implantation process has emerged as an effective and simple method to be utilized for the fabrication of opto-electronic materials and devices due to numerous fascinating features of Au nanoparticles such as surface plasmon resonance (SPR), large third-order nonlinearity and a fast response time. In this paper, we describe the fabrication of a novel Au nanoparticle saturable absorber (Au NP-SA) by embedding the Au NPs into a SiO2 thin film using the ion implantation process, which shows excellent saturable absorption features due to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) effect of Au NPs. A stable and high-quality pulsed laser with a repetition rate of 33.3 kHz and a single pulse energy of 11.7 nJ was successfully constructed with the Au NP-SA. Both the stable operation characteristic of the obtained Q-switched pulsed laser and the high repeatability of the fabrication process of the Au NP-SA were demonstrated. In addition, the simple feasibility and maturity of the ion implantation process allow for the plasmonic nanoparticles to be easily integrated into other types of opto-electronic materials and devices to further improve their performance, and shows immense potential for the production of wafer-level products.

Effects of Plasmonic Au Nanoparticles on the Optical Nonlinearity of InAs/GaAs Quantum Dot Semiconductor Saturable Absorber Mirrors

“…This procedure involves accelerating high-speed Au ions through an electric field and directing them towards the target material, resulting in collisions with atoms within the target material that lead to energy loss and eventual embedding inside it. When the injection dose surpasses the solid solubility of the substrate, dispersed particles initiate cluster formation, thereby giving rise to metal NPs [43]. The ion implantation method enables the generation of a substrate with a filling factor surpassing the equilibrium solubility threshold for metal NPs implanted in semiconductors, thereby facilitating the formation of metal NPs.…”