Tunability of the dielectric function of heavily doped germanium thin films for mid-infrared plasmonics

Abstract

Mid-infrared plasmonics has the potential to revolutionize molecular sensing technology, if integrated into optoelectronic chips. Recently,several groups working on plasmonics have substituted metals with heavily doped semiconductors for the sake of integration, also opening up the possibility of tuning the device response via the doping level. In this work, the authors analyze the relevant case of heavily doped Ge films by combining transport measurements with infrared spectroscopy. They demonstrate a broad tunability of the screened plasma frequency up to the mid-infrared range. The main loss channels are identified through comparison of the experimental scattering rates with quantum calculations and pump-probe measurements. Heavily doped Ge is highlighted as a viable route for the integration of mid-infrared plasmonics into silicon optoelectronic platforms.