Controlling spontaneous emission with plasmonic optical patch antennas

Nano Lett. 2013 Apr 10;13(4):1516-21. doi: 10.1021/nl3046602. Epub 2013 Mar 12.

Abstract

We experimentally demonstrate the control of the spontaneous emission rate and the radiation pattern of colloidal quantum dots deterministically positioned in a plasmonic patch antenna. The antenna consists of a thin gold microdisk separated from a planar gold layer by a few tens of nanometers thick dielectric layer. The emitters are shown to radiate through the entire patch antenna in a highly directional and vertical radiation pattern. Strong acceleration of spontaneous emission is observed, depending on the antenna geometry. Considering the double dipole structure of the emitters, this corresponds to a Purcell factor up to 80 for dipoles perpendicular to the disk.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Colloids / chemistry*
  • Equipment Design
  • Gold / chemistry*
  • Light
  • Nanostructures / chemistry
  • Nanotechnology
  • Optics and Photonics
  • Quantum Dots*
  • Surface Plasmon Resonance

Substances

  • Colloids
  • Gold