Materials research plays a vital role in transforming breakthrough scientific ideas into next-generation technology. Similar to the way silicon revolutionized the microelectronics industry, the proper materials can greatly impact the field of plasmonics and metamaterials. Currently, research in plasmonics and metamaterials lacks good material building blocks in order to realize useful devices. Such devices suffer from many drawbacks arising from the undesirable properties of their material building blocks, especially metals. There are many materials, other than conventional metallic components such as gold and silver, that exhibit metallic properties and provide advantages in device performance, design flexibility, fabrication, integration, and tunability. This review explores different material classes for plasmonic and metamaterial applications, such as conventional semiconductors, transparent conducting oxides, perovskite oxides, metal nitrides, silicides, germanides, and 2D materials such as graphene. This review provides a summary of the recent developments in the search for better plasmonic materials and an outlook of further research directions.

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Alternative Plasmonic Materials: Beyond Gold and Silver

The study of the electronic, thermal and optical properties of dysprosium-doped cadmium oxide reveals high electron mobility, rendering the material suitable for plasmonic applications in the mid-infrared region.

Dysprosium-doped cadmium oxide as a gateway material for mid-infrared plasmonics

Optical properties of discontinuous gold films

Cellule solaire a film mince amelioree, a grande surface, procedes et appareil de fabrication de cette cellule, cette derniere possedant un rendement de conversion lumiere-energie electrique relativement eleve et caracterisee en ce que la cellule (30) comprend une heterojonction (34) du type pn formee i) d'une premiere couche semi-conductrice (35) comprenant un materiau presentant une activite photovoltaique choisie dans les materiaux de la classe des chalcopyrites I-III-VI2 ternaires qui est deposee sous la forme d'une couche mince a 'gradient de composition' dont l'epaisseur est de l'ordre d'environ 2,5 microns a 5,0 microns (= 2,5 (Alpha)ma 5,0 (Alpha)m) et dans laquelle la region inferieure (35a) du materiau photovoltaique comprend de preference une region de basse resistivite de materiau semi-conducteur du type p superposee par une region (35b) de resistivite relativement haute, un materiau semi-conducteur de transition du type n definissant une homojonction de transition pn; Thin film solar cell has improved has large area, processes and manufacturing apparatus of this cell, the latter possessing an electric light-energy conversion efficiency relatively high and is characterized in that the cell (30) comprises a heterojunction (34) Type pn FORMED i) a first semiconductor layer (35) comprising a material having demonstrated a photovoltaic activity in the materials selected from the class of chalcopyrite I-III-VI2 ternary which is deposited as a thin layer 'composition gradient' whose thickness is of the order of about 2.5 microns to 5.0 microns (= 2.5 (Alpha) my 5.0 (Alpha) m) and wherein the lower region ( 35a) of the photovoltaic material preferably comprises a region of low resistivity semiconductor material of p-type superimposed by a region (35b) of relatively high resistivity, transition semiconductor material of n-type defining a transition pn homojunction; et ii) d'une seconde couche semi-conductrice (36) comprenant un materiau semi-conducteur a basse resistivite du type n; and ii) a second semiconductor layer (36) comprising a semiconductor material has low resistivity n-type; l'interdiffusion a) entre les constituants elementaires entre les deux regions discretes juxtaposees de la premiere couche semi-conductrice (35) definissant une couche de transition d'homojonction pn et b) entre le materiau de transition de type n dans la premiere couche semi-conductrice (35) et la deuxieme couche semi-conductrice (36) du type n, provoque la conversion du materiau de transition du type n dans la premiere couche semi-conductrice (35) en materiau de type p, definissant ainsi un dispositif a film mince a heterojonction caracterise par l'absence de vides, de lacunes et de nodules qui tendent a reduire le rendement de conversion du systeme. interdiffusion a) between the elementary constituents between the two juxtaposed discrete regions of the first semiconductor layer (35) defining a transition layer of pn homojunction and b) between the n-type transition material in the first semiconductor layer -conductrice (35) and the second semiconductor layer (36) of n-type material causes the conversion of n-type transition in the first semiconductor layer (35) in p-type material, and defining a device thin film characterizes HETEROJUNCTION by the absence of voids, gaps and nodules which tend to reduce the system conversion efficiency.

Methods and apparatus for forming thin-film heterojunction solar cells from i-iii-vi2 chalcopyrite compounds, and solar cells produced thereby

The optical properties of CuInSe2 thin films

Photoconductivity effects in CuInS2, CuInSe2 and CuInTe2 thin films

The conduction mechanisms of ultrathin (10−100 A) metal films are investigated. The electrical conductivity and activation energy of discontinuous Au films grown in UHV are correlated with island size and separation and average film thickness. The relationship between film conductivity and deposition rate and substrate temperature is presented. Film temperature data indicate the validity of the proposed model. Some anomalous conductivity effects are reported for films deposited below the UHV range. The results are explained in terms of substrate and film surface contamination. Data are presented indicating the sensitivity of the conductivity of discontinuous films to ambient gas concentration. Reversible and irreversible situations are discussed.

Growth, environmental, and electrical properties of ultrathin metal films

Electron and X-ray diffraction analyses of ternary compound (I–III–VI2) thin films

Molecular beam epitaxy has been used to grow CuInSe2 on CdS(0001B). Epitaxial growth, as determined from in situ reflection electron diffraction, was observed at a substrate temperature of 300 °C.

Growth of CuInSe2 on CdS using molecular beam epitaxy

CdS-CuInSe 2 thin-film solar cells are examined by Auger electron spectroscopy The effects of device fabrication and post-deposition procedures on the depth-compositional profiles and the performance of these photovoltaic devices are presented. The temperature dependence of the grain boundary diffusion coefficient of Cd from the CdS layer into the CuInSe 2 film is determined experimentally.

L.L. Kazmerski

Papers

Photoconductivity effects in CuInS2, CuInSe2 and CuInTe2 thin films

Growth, environmental, and electrical properties of ultrathin metal films

Electron and X-ray diffraction analyses of ternary compound (I–III–VI2) thin films

Growth of CuInSe2 on CdS using molecular beam epitaxy

Auger analysis of CdS—CuInSe 2 thin-film solar cells

L.L. Kazmerski

Papers

Photoconductivity effects in CuInS2, CuInSe2 and CuInTe2 thin films

Growth, environmental, and electrical properties of ultrathin metal films

Electron and X-ray diffraction analyses of ternary compound (I–III–VI2) thin films

Growth of CuInSe2 on CdS using molecular beam epitaxy

Auger analysis of CdS&#8212;CuInSe 2 thin-film solar cells

Auger analysis of CdS—CuInSe 2 thin-film solar cells