Plasmon resonances of aluminum nanoparticles and nanorods

We report experimental and theoretical analysis of the plasmonic resonances of Al nanoparticles and nanorods. Ordered nanoparticle arrays with well-defined shapes and narrow size distributions are fabricated on quartz substrates over large areas using extreme ultraviolet interference lithography. The structures, which have sizes down to 40 nm, exhibit strong and sharp particle plasmon resonances in the near and deep-UV ranges. A comprehensive theoretical analysis carried out using dipolar approximation and finite-difference time-domain methods shows good overall agreement with measurements while revealing the dependence of the optical response of Al structures on the fabrication conditions. The results demonstrate the suitability of using Al as a plasmonic material in the UV range and the feasibility of extending applications of plasmonics, such as surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy, down to the deep-UV range. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.2999370]