PLASMON SURFACE POLARITON FIELDS FOR THE CHARACTERIZATION OF THIN-FILMS

This paper deals with the application of plasmon surface polariton (PSP) fields to the characterization of thin films, e.g. Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) monolayers and multilayers, on solid substrates. First, it is demonstrated how the high field intensities obtained by resonant excitation of PSPs at a silver-dielectric interface can be employed to derive structural information of very thin organic coatings by recording their Raman spectra. Examples are given for the local variation in a structural order parameter within LB multilayer assemblies. Next, total internal diffraction of PSP fields by a dielectric phase grating is described. Finally, recent developments in the new field of PSP imaging and microscopy are presented. Examples are given for the high contrast that can be obtained between thin coatings of slightly different optical thicknesses.