Characterization of metallic nano-particles via surface wave scattering:: B.: Physical concept and numerical experiments

We present a methodology to characterize nanometer-size particles on or near a surface via surface-wave scattering. With a series of simulations, we show that the size of nano-particles on a metallic surface can be determined unambiguously from the angular profile of the elliptical polarization of scattered waves expressed as normalized scattering Mueller matrix elements M-ij. This characterization modality is based on the interaction of particles on a surface with the evanescent waves. The particle-surface interactions become less pronounced with separation distance, and the scattering of evanescent waves by nano-particles does not show any significant size dependence. The results suggest that it is possible to monitor the self-assembly process of metallic particles on metallic surfaces in real time, which is crucial for on-line control in bottom-up nano-manufactufing processes. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.