Gold Nanoparticle 2D-Arrays Chemically Immobilized as Large-Area Near-Field Light Source

Near-field light sources made it possible to go beyond the diffraction limit. Innovative nanophotonics offers potential throughout the field of photonics, including industrial applications such as high-efficiency solar cells. These applications require a novel technique for generating not a nanometer-scale point but a large-area (mm2-m2) near-field light source. Here, we report the first large-area near-field light source that is densely constructed of uniform-size gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) two-dimensionally arrayed with regular interparticle gaps, which eventually has tunable localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) bands (600-1100 nm). The light source is attached by means of chemical coating on 1×1-cm2 substrates, but there is no limitation on the size.