Tunable plasmons in ultrathin metal films

The physics of electrons, photons and their plasmonic interactions changes greatly when one or more dimensions are reduced down to the nanometre scale(1). For example, graphene shows unique electrical, optical and plasmonic properties, which are tunable through gating or chemical doping(2-5). Similarly, ultrathin metal films (UTMFs) down to atomic thickness can possess new quantum optical effects(6,7), peculiar dielectric properties(8) and predicted strong plasmons(9,10). However, truly two-dimensional plasmonics in metals has so far been elusive because of the difficulty in producing large areas of sufficiently thin continuous films. Thanks to a deposition technique that allows percolation even at 1 nm thickness, we demonstrate plasmons in few-nanometre-thick gold UTMFs, with clear evidence of new dispersion regimes and large electrical tunability. Resonance peaks at wavelengths of 1.5-5 mu m are shifted by hundreds of nanometres and amplitude-modulated by tens of per cent through gating using relatively low voltages. The results suggest ways to use metals in plasmonic applications, such as electro-optic modulation, biosensing and smart windows.