Experimental and Theoretical Study of Optical Antennas Formed from ZnO Nanorods Coated with a Thin Silver Film

• Published in: Journal of communications technology & electronics 2017-12, Vol.62 (12), p.1328-1335
• Main Authors: Kaidashev, E. M., Lerer, A. M., Golovacheva, E. V., Kaydashev, V. E., Lyanguzov, N. V., Tsvetyanskii, E. A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Antennas; Antennas (Electronics); Communications Engineering; Comparative analysis; Dielectric materials; Dielectrics; Electrodynamics and Wave Propagation; Electromagnetic radiation; Electromagnetism; Engineering; Gratings (spectra); Magnetron sputtering; Metallic films; Nanorods; Networks; Photovoltaic cells; Silver; Substrates; Thin films; Wave diffraction; Wave propagation; Zinc oxide
• ISSN: 1064-2269; 1555-6557
• DOI: 10.1134/S1064226917110055

A new design of an optical antenna formed from a ZnO nanorod coated with a thin metallic film is proposed. Arrays of ZnO nanorods coated with a thin silver film and highly oriented perpendicular to the substrate have been fabricated using carbothermal synthesis and magnetron sputtering. The problems of diffraction of electromagnetic waves by a single metal–dielectric nanooscillator located at the interface between dielectrics and on a 2D periodic array have been solved. Calculated electrodynamic characteristics of the optical nanoantennas of different lengths have been compared with experimental data. A new optical metal–dielectric diffraction grating absorbing almost 100% of the energy falling onto it at the resonance of the surface wave propagating along the metal (solid state plasma)/dielectric interface has been theoretically investigated.