%0 Thesis %A Eragam Reddy, Harsha Vardhana %D 2020 %T Probing nanoscale light-matter interactions in photonic and plasmonic nanostructures %U https://hammer.purdue.edu/articles/thesis/Probing_nanoscale_light-matter_interactions_in_photonic_and_plasmonic_nanostructures/12240833 %R 10.25394/PGS.12240833.v1 %2 https://hammer.purdue.edu/ndownloader/files/24693530 %K Nanophotonics %K Light-matter interaction %K Hot Carrier %K PLasmonics %K Electrical and Electronic Engineering not elsewhere classified %X This thesis describes the development of experimental methods to probe the nanoscale light-matter interactions in photonic and plasmonic nanostructures. The first part of this thesis presents the experimental findings on the temperature evolution of optical properties in important plasmonic materials. Understanding the influence of temperature on the optical properties of thin metal films - the material platforms for plasmonics - is crucial for the design and development of practical devices for high temperature applications in a variety of research avenues, including plasmonics, novel energy conversion technologies and near-field radiative heat transfer. We will first introduce a custom built experimental platform comprising a heating stage integrated into a spectroscopic ellipsometer setup that enables the determination of optical properties in the wavelength range from 370 nm to 2000 nm at elevated temperatures, from room temperature to 900 oC. Subsequently, the temperature dependent complex dielectric functions of gold, silver and titanium nitride thin films that were obtained using the above described experimental platform will be presented. Furthermore, the underlying microscopic physical processes governing the temperature evolution and the role of film thickness and crystallinity will be discussed. Finally, using extensive numerical simulations we will demonstrate the importance of incorporating the temperature induced deviations into numerical models for accurate multiphysics modeling of practical high temperature nanophotonic applications.