Au Plasmonic Shofar Structures

We demonstrate a simple two-step etching method to fabricate Au plasmonic shofars (“shofar” is the Hebrew name for certain types of curved and tapered horns, such as from a ram). The structural, optical, and morphological properties were studied by using X-ray diffraction, UV-Vis spectrophotometry, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The etching mechanism and the light-guiding properties for this unique morphology are described. The leaky surface plasmon propagation (SPP) and guiding properties of shofars are investigated by using leakage radiation microscopy (LRM).