Infrared Surface Plasmon-polaritons on Ni, Pd and Pt

Surface plasmon-polaritons (SPP) have been excited on evaporated films of the transition metals nickel, palladium and platinum. Using the Otto geometry and a He/Ne laser operating at 3·391 μm we report the first characterisations of these metals using this technique. Adjusting the air-gap over the range 4 to 15 μm has allowed observation of > 95% coupling of p-polarised (TM) radiation to the SPP and precise quantification of the optical dielectric constants of the metal films. The relatively large imaginary components so obtained mean that these materials may not readily be used in the Kretschmann geometry at this wavelength. By contrast the SPP resonances observed using the Otto geometry are sharp and open up potential for catalytic studies with SPP excitation on these metals.