Influence of metal deposition on exciton-surface plasmon polariton coupling in GaAs/AlAs/GaAs core-shell nanowires studied with time-resolved cathodoluminescence.

The coupling of excitons to surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) in Au- and Al-coated GaAs/AlAs/GaAs core-shell nanowires, possessing diameters of ~100 nm, was probed using time-resolved cathodoluminescence (CL). Excitons were generated in the metal coated nanowires by injecting a pulsed high-energy electron beam through the thin metal films. The Purcell enhancement factor (FP) was obtained by direct measurement of changes in the temperature-dependent radiative lifetime caused by the nanowire exciton-SPP coupling and compared with a model that takes into account the dependence of FP on the distance from the metal film and the thickness of the film covering the GaAs nanowires.