PROCEEDINGS ARTICLE | April 21, 2016
Proc. SPIE. 9884, Nanophotonics VI
KEYWORDS: Gold, Plasmonics, Plasmons, Nanostructures, Nanostructures, Optical properties, Reflection, Nanoparticles, Nanoparticles, Metals, Metals, Annealing, Annealing, Copper, Gallium arsenide, Silver, Silver, Resistance
Self-assembled silver, gold, and copper nanostructures on the monocrystalline GaAs (100) wafer surface were obtained
via physical vapor deposition and characterized by optical reflection spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and
current-voltage curve measurements. Reflection spectra of the samples with Ag equivalent thicknesses of 2, 5, 7.5, and
10 nm demonstrated wide plasmonic bands in the visible range of spectra. Thermal annealing of the nanostructures led to
narrowing of the plasmonic bands of Au and Ag nanostructures caused by major transformations of the film morphology.
While the as prepared films predominantly had a small scale labyrinth structure, after annealing well-separated
nanoislands are formed on the gallium arsenide surface. A clear correlation between films morphology and their optical
and electrical properties is elucidated. Annealing of the GaAs substrate with Ag nanostructures at 100 °C under control
of the resistivity allowed us to obtain and fix the structure at the percolation threshold. It is established that the samples
at the percolation threshold possess the properties of resistance switching and hysteresis.
