Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) occurs at the interface of a semiconductor and a dielectric when certain conditions are satisfied. SPR is... Show moreSurface plasmon resonance (SPR) occurs at the interface of a semiconductor and a dielectric when certain conditions are satisfied. SPR is impetus to new sensor and device development in the optical range, with nanoparticles of noble metals taking up major roles. Typical conduction band electron concentrations in semiconductors lead to resonance frequencies in the terahertz and infrared bands. While the response strength is weaker than those exhibited by metals, it can be made up for by the formation of aggregates. The added degree of freedom by doping or carrier injection further enhances the versatility of semiconductor nanoclusters. To obtain a first principle solution to the coupled set of equations for charge carrier transport and electrodynamics in a conductive cluster is a formidable task with a high computational cost. Employing a finite-element based tool, the COMSOL Multiphysics Simulation Software, the interaction inside and outside some elementary semiconductor structures such as slab and sphere have been solved, which revealed the screening of the internal field while displaying dispersion and absorptions effects. The study of semiconductor dimer also showed a significant field enhancement and frequency shift. Under strong applied field, asymmetric polarization within the particles is revealed. The accompanying nonlinear polarization response can be employed to develop new devices. These model structures can serve to provide insight to the analysis and synthesis more complex structures. Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, May 2017 Show less
