Plasmonic Properties of β-Sn Nanoparticles in Ordered and Disordered Arrangements

This work investigates the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) of beta-Sn also known as white tin. Recently, studies on arrays of beta-Sn nanoparticles have shown that these arrays possess strong optical features caused by diffractive effects in the particle grating (Johansen et al., Phys Rev B 84:113405-113408, 2011). In the presence of the grating, the LSPR could not clearly be distinguished in the spectra. To get a better understanding of the plasmonic properties of the particles, we have now eliminated the diffractive effects by placing the particles in a random distribution. The particles were fabricated by electron beam lithography on a fused silica substrate and investigated by optical transmission measurements. In the random configuration, a clear LSPR is observed at 530 nm for particles with a diameter of 155 nm and a height of 50 nm.