Shifts in plasmon resonance due to charging of a nanodisk array in argon plasma

A method for generating charge-induced plasmonic shifts, using argon plasma to charge nanoparticle arrays, is presented. Particles develop a negative charge, due to enhanced collisions with high-temperature electrons, in low-temperature plasmas. The negative charge generated causes a blue shift in the localized surface plasmon resonance. The dynamics of the shift were recorded and discussed. This effect could be used as a real-time method for studying the dynamics for charging in plasma. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3673327]