Surface plasmon induced spot and line formation at interfaces of ITO coated LiNbO3 slabs and gigantic nonlinearity.

Remarkable spots and lines were clearly observed at the two interfaces of indium-tin-oxide coated Z-cut Fe-doped lithium noibate plates under illumination by milliwatt continuous-wave laser light; this occurred because of the visible surface plasmons (SPs) supported by the promising non-metal plasmonic system. The intriguing observations are here explained via the SP-strengthened nonlinear effect, through consideration of the electrostatic field (which is comparable to the atomic field) and its large gradient; this hints at a promising, highly sensitive plasmonic system. The gigantic nonlinear effect discussed in this paper should be ubiquitously existed in many oxide ferroelectric/semiconductor combinations and is promising for visible plasmonic applications.

Young's double-slit-like diffraction stemming from scattering of long-ranged surface plasmon polaritons along distinct ±Z-faces' metallic layers in indium-tin-oxide coated Fe doped LiNbO3.

Young's double-slit-like diffraction was seen on a viewing screen placed perpendicularly to a sharply cut edge of a Z-cut iron doped LiNbO3 (LN) slab coated with indium-tin-oxide (ITO) films. The high contrast fringes observed confirm two sets of visible long-ranged surface plasmon polaritons propagating along the two ITO-LN interfaces distinctly over 5 mm path length with well-kept coherency, apart from metal uses. The indices of refraction measured with polarimetry from the ±Z-faces and changing transmission spectra obtained are consistent with the physical picture, along with dynamics of the very first reflection from the -Z-face under varying polarization angles between the two incident laser beams onto the slab.