Plasmonics in Atomically Thin Crystalline Silver

We report on the fabrication of few-atomic-layer-thick wafer-scale crystalline silver films, along with the observation of plasmons in the near-to-mid infrared spectral regions upon lithographic structuring. Our measured optical spectra reveal narrow plasmons (quality factor ~ 4), further supported by a low sheet resistance comparable to bulk metal in few-atomic-layer silver films down to 7 Ag(111) monolayers. Good crystal quality and plasmon narrowness are obtained despite the addition of a thin passivating dielectric, which renders our samples resilient to ambient conditions.