Optical dielectric function of silver

Reviews and Highlights	Quantum Science	Molecular and Soft-matter	Ultrafast Nano-optics and Nanophotonics	Mineralogy and Geochemistry

Honghua U. Yang, Jeffrey D’Archangel, Michael L. Sundheimer, Eric Tucker, Glenn D. Boreman, and Markus B. Raschke
Phys. Rev. B 91, 235137 (2015).
DOI PDF SI

The dielectric function of silver is a fundamental quantity related to its electronic structure and describes its optical properties. However, results published over the past six decades are in part inconsistent and exhibit significant discrepancies. The measurement is experimentally challenging with the values of dielectric function spanning over five orders of magnitude from the mid-infrared to the visible/ultraviolet spectral range. Using broadband spectroscopic ellipsometry, we determine the complex-valued dielectric function of evaporated and template stripped polycrystalline silver films from 0.05 eV (λ = 25 μm) to 4.14 eV (λ = 300 nm) with a statistical uncertainty of less than 1%. From Drude analysis of the 0.1-3 eV range, values of the plasma frequency ωp = 8.9 +/-0.2 eV, dielectric function at infinite frequency ε∞ = 5 +/-2, and relaxation time τ  = 17 +/- 3 fs are obtained, with the absolute uncertainties estimated from systematic errors and experimental repeatability. Further analysis based on the extended Drude model reveals an increase in τ with decreasing frequency in agreement with Fermi liquid theory, and extrapolates to τ ≃ 22 fs for zero frequency. A deviation from simple Fermi liquid behavior is suggested at energies below 0.1 eV (λ = 12 μm) with the onset of a further increase in τ connecting to the DC value from transport measurements of ∼ 40 fs. The results are consistent with a wide range of optical and plasmonic experiments throughout the infrared and visible/ultraviolet spectral range. However, due to the polycrystalline nature of our sample, the values measured are not likely reaching the intrinsic limit of silver. The influence of grain boundaries, defect scattering, and surface oxidation is discussed. The results are compared with our previous measurements of the dielectric function of gold [Olmon et al., Phys. Rev. B 86, 235147 (2012)].

Data: Ag_A.csv, Ag_A.pdf, Ag_A_Corrected.csv, Ag_A_Corrected.pdf, Ag_B.csv, Ag_B.pdf, Ag_B_Corrected.csv, Ag_B_Corrected.pdf, Ag_C.csv, Ag_C.pdf, Ag_C_Corrected.csv, Ag_C_Corrected.pdf, Au_A.csv, Au_A.pdf, Au_B.csv, Au_B.pdf, Au_C.csv, Au_C.pdf,