Surface Plasmon-polariton Study of the Optical Dielectric Function of Copper

Abstract

Abstract The optical dielectric function of copper is measured by excitation of surface plasmon-polaritons on a copper-covered silica grating for a range of wavelengths in the visible region of the spectrum. By exciting the surface plasmon-polariton at the grating/copper interface, the copper is protected from oxidation and contamination. Comparison of angle-dependent reflectivities to grating modelling theory gives both the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric function of the copper. The results compare very favourably with those obtained by other workers using more conventional methods for samples held in a vacuum.