Signal Amplification of the Transient Response Measured by the Subnanosecond Pump–Probe Method Based on Surface Plasmon Resonance

A pump–probe system with a subnanosecond pulsed laser is expected to be a compact and inexpensive transient spectroscopic system that enables nondestructive and noncontact evaluations of the physical properties. However, an improvement in the sensitivity and a theoretical model to complement the measurement signal are necessary to obtain the transient signal precisely because of the low sensitivity and large time resolution. We have developed a highly sensitive pump–probe system with a subnanosecond pulsed laser that combines signal amplification based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) in this study. An integrated theoretical model of the transient response obtained by a subnanosecond pump–probe under the SPR condition was proposed. Our model consisted of the profile descriptions of the used pulse source, temperature change, generated thermoelastic stress, estimated permittivity change in the metal film, and estimated reflectivity change. The theoretical estimations in the time domain and the incident angle dependence were compared with those of the experimental results to verify our theory. As a result, the estimations were well in agreement with the experimental results. Moreover, the signal-amplification mechanism based on SPR was discussed using our theory. The amplification was caused by the broadening of the resonant curve of SPR and the shift of the resonant angle, which seemed to come from the increase in the electron–phonon scattering rate and the thermal expansion of the metal film, respectively. A clear mechanism of SPR-based signal amplification of the subnanosecond pump–probe was identified through experimental and theoretical approaches.