Unveiling Influence of Dielectric Losses on the Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance in (Al,Ga)As:Sb Metamaterials

Abstract

We perform numerical modeling of the optical absorption spectra of metamaterials composed of systems of semimetal antimony nanoparticles embedded into Al𝑥Ga1−𝑥As semiconductor matrices. We reveal a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in these metamaterials, which results in a strong optical extinction band below, near, or above the direct band gap of the semiconductor matrices, depending on the chemical composition of the solid solutions. We elucidate the role of dielectric losses in Al𝑥Ga1−𝑥As, which impact the LSPR and cause non-plasmonic optical absorption. It appears that even a dilute system of plasmonic Sb nanoinclusions can substantially change the optical absorption spectra of the medium.