Strong enhancement of light-matter interaction in graphene coupled to a photonic crystal nanocavity

Nano Lett. 2012 Nov 14;12(11):5626-31. doi: 10.1021/nl302746n. Epub 2012 Oct 12.

Abstract

We demonstrate a large enhancement in the interaction of light with graphene through coupling with localized modes in a photonic crystal nanocavity. Spectroscopic studies show that a single atomic layer of graphene reduces the cavity reflection by more than a factor of one hundred, while also sharply reducing the cavity quality factor. The strong interaction allows for cavity-enhanced Raman spectroscopy on subwavelength regions of a graphene sample. A coupled-mode theory model matches experimental observations and indicates significantly increased light absorption in the graphene layer. The coupled graphene-cavity system also enables precise measurements of graphene's complex refractive index.

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.