Interactions of surface plasmons with surface acoustic waves and the study of the properties of Ag films

Abstract

Experimental and theoretical studies on the interactions of surface plasmons with surface acoustic waves have been carried out. Surface acoustic waves were generated on the hypotenuse face of a LiNbO3 prism at f0=85 MHz and 3f0=255 MHz, respectively, which acted as ‘‘dynamic’’ gratings for the conversion of incident light into surface plasmons. The experiment results demonstrated excellent agreement with theoretical calculations based on Fresnel’s formulas for a layered structure and the theory for light diffraction in association with surface acoustic waves. Furthermore, interesting changes in the interaction spectra were observed that have been related to the Ag film’s oxidization. From these observations, variations in Ag film properties have been evaluated.