Tailoring the plasmonic properties of complex transition metal nitrides: A theoretical and experimental approach

Transition metal nitrides (TMNs) are promising materials for developing next-generation photonic devices. A practical way toward high-performance TMNs is to tune their plasmonic properties through different compositions. Here, we investigate the electronic structures and optical properties of TMNs (Ti1-xZrxN and Ti1-xHfxN, x = 0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 1) computationally and experimentally. Our calculated dielectric permittivities and quality factors suggest that the overall performance of TMNs is well-tuned by their compositions, supported by our measured data obtained from the 50-nm thick TMN films deposited on sapphire (0001). Particularly, at the dielectric-metallic interface, Ti0.25Hf0.75N (ENZ of 401 nm) and Ti0.50Zr0.50N (ENZ of 406 nm) show a better dielectric response than the binary TMNs. Ti0.50Hf0.50N (ENZ of 457 nm) holds promise for applications requiring efficient energy absorption and enhanced wave manipulation in the near-infrared range. Using mixed ternary TMNs to tune plasmonic properties in the visible and near-infrared regions can thus achieve frequency-targeting photonics applications.

Automated summary

Transition metal nitrides (TMNs) are promising materials for developing next-generation photonic devices. By tuning their compositions, the plasmonic properties of TMNs can be modulated. Computational and experimental studies show that the overall performance of TMNs can be adjusted by their compositions, and using mixed ternary TMNs can achieve frequency-targeting photonics applications.