Anisotropic light absorption by localized surface plasmon resonance in a thin film of gold nanoparticles studied by visible multiple-angle incidence resolution spectrometry

Anisotropic light absorptions via localized surface plasmon resonance in a gold-evaporated film parallel (in-plane; IP) and perpendicular (out-of-plane; OP) to the film surface are studied using visible multiple-angle incidence resolution spectrometry (Vis-MAIRS). When the thin film was aged for eighteen days, the time-dependent Vis-MAIRS IP spectra exhibited significantly different variation from that of the OP spectra: the IP spectra exhibited a large shift to the shorter wavelength side, whereas the OP spectra were explained by a linear combination of three-constituent spectra. The surface topographical analysis of the film revealed that a continuous film coalesced to form aggregates of metal particles. The intrinsic difference between the IP and OP spectra was readily elucidated by considering the surface-parallel and -perpendicular dipoles interaction depending on the topographical changes, which was confirmed by performing spectral simulation using metal particle array models.