Stimulated emission of surface plasmons by electron tunneling in metal-barrier-metal structures

Abstract

We show that correlation currents arising from the superposition of pairs of states on distinct sides of a potential barrier in metal-barrier-metal structures can result in inelastic tunneling through the emission of surface plasmons. Net gain of an externally excited plasmon field is possible.

Efficient Surface Plasmon Polariton Excitation and Control over Outcoupling Mechanisms in Metal–Insulator–Metal Tunneling Junctions

“…Initially, the energy quanta donated from inelastically tunneling electron couples to the local density of optical states (LDOS—Figure 1a). The decay pathway of this energy is defined by the LDOS of the system, which preferentially couples to the cavity mode (MIM‐SPP) in Al‐AlO x ‐Cr‐Au MIM‐TJs 31–33. Once the MIM‐SPP is excited, it then outcouples to both the radiative and non‐radiative mode, as well as dissipating into the electrodes 34.…”

Transition voltage spectroscopy in vacuum break junction: The standard tunneling barrier model and beyond

“…The tunneling barrier results as a (averaged) many‐body effect: electrons that tunnel interact with electrons from electrode(s). A rich literature devoted to this effect exisits, which is generically referred to as quantum corrections to the classical image barrier 56–69. Widely employed are approaches based on the density functional theory (DFT) within the local‐density approximation (LDA) 56, 58 and interpolation schemes to smoothly join the one‐electron potential (exchange‐correlation energy) in the bulk with the classical image potential far away from the surface 62.…”