Our work demonstrates nonadiabatic tunneling of photoelectrons in the near-field of gold nanostructures, which occurs in the transition region between the multi-photon-induced photoemission and tunneling emission regimes. Measured kinetic energy spectra at higher laser intensities indicates strong-field electron accelaration and recollision, characteristic for the tunneling emission regime. At the same time, constant scaling of the photoelectron current with the intensity has been measured, a trait of the multi-photon-induced photoemission regime. The Keldysh value of γ ≈ 2 for the transition was determined by analyzing the measured photoemission spectra. This value is in good agreement with the results acquired by the numerical solution of the Time-Dependent Schrödinger Equation.
With the introduction of phosphorescent and thermally activated delayed fluorescence emitter materials, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with internal quantum yields of up to 100% can be realized. Still, light extraction from the OLED stack is a bottleneck, which hampers the availability of OLEDs with large external quantum efficiencies. Many different strategies to enhance the outcoupling of the light have been suggested, for instance, the use of collective lattice resonances induced by arrays of plasmonic nanodiscs. Here, we investigate the usability of these nanodisc arrays to tune the emission color of an organic blue-emitting material. By means of extinction and photoluminescence spectroscopy, we show a correlation of the sharp features observed in extinction with a selective fluorescence enhancement. At the same time, the nanodisc array also modifies the microcavity of an OLED stack. For one exemplarily lattice constant of an aluminum nanodisc array directly integrated into an OLED stack, we show that a combination of these effects allows the modification of the emission color from CIE1931 (x,y) chromaticity coordinates of (0.149, 0.225) to (0.152, 0.352). Importantly, the OLED exhibited a similar emission color modification under optical as well as electrical excitation.
With the invention of phosphorescent emitter material, organic light emitting diodes with internal quantum yields of up to 100% can be realized. Still, the extraction of the light from the OLED stack is a bottleneck, which hampers the availability of OLEDs with large external quantum efficiencies. In this contribution, we highlight the advantages of integrating aluminum nanodisc arrays into the OLED stack. By this, not only the out-coupling of light can be enhanced, but also the emission color can be tailored and controlled. By means of extinction- and fluorescence spectroscopy measurements we are able to show how the sharp features observed in the extinction measurements correlate with a very selective fluorescence enhancement of the organic emitter materials used in these studies. At the same time, localized surface plasmon resonances of the individual nanodiscs further modify the emission spectrum, e.g., by filtering the green emission tail. A combination of these factors leads to a modification of the emission color in between CIE1931 (x,y) chromaticity coordinates of (0.149, 0.225) and (0.152, 0.352). After accounting for the sensitivity of the human eye, we are able to demonstrate that this adjustment of the chromaticity coordinates goes is accompanied by an increase in device efficiency.
The combination of single photon emitters (quantum dots) and tailored metal nanoparticles with defined size and shape
allows a detailed study of the interaction between light and matter. The enhanced optical near-field of the nanoparticles
can strongly influence the absorption and emission of nearby fluorescent quantum dots. We show that a controlled
spatial arrangement enables the analysis and understanding of polarization dependent coupling between a metal
nanoparticle and few or single fluorescent quantum dots. Modifications in the fluorescence spectrum and lifetime are
analyzed and compare well with simulations.
The reduction of the fluorescence lifetime in such systems is usually in the order of 3-10. However, much larger
reductions are to be expected if the quantum dots are positioned in a nanometric gap between two plasmonic
nanoparticles, eventually leading to hot luminescence. We approach this regime experimentally and present first results
from lithogaphically fabricated gold particle-pairs with controlled gap widths in the range of 1-20nm.
KEYWORDS: Particles, Nanoparticles, Gold, Glasses, Near field scanning optical microscopy, Near field optics, Microscopes, Nanostructuring, Optical tweezers, Objectives
We propose to optically trap nanoparticles utilizing a single nanostructured glass-fiber tip. 3D translation of optically trapped nanoparticles - nano tweezers - presents vast application possibilities and has not yet been shown. The input end of the fibre probe is a standard fibre, providing easy coupling to a light source. The output end is tapered down and covered with gold, with a nanoaperture fabricated on the tip. The nanoaperture provides the strong field gradient necessary for trapping of nanoparticles. We discuss probe geometries supported by numerical simulations. The fabrication procedure for the fibre probe, using a focused ion beam, is described. A set-up for the experiments has been made and preliminary trapping results are presented.
Bernhard Lamprecht, Martin Sagmeister, Elke Kraker, Paul Hartmann, Georg Jakopic, Stefan Köstler, Harald Ditlbacher, Nicole Galler, Joachim Krenn, Birgit Ungerböck, Tobias Abel, Torsten Mayr
We present a novel waveguide sensor platform, combining monolithically integrated sensor waveguides with thin-film
organic photodiodes on a single substrate. Aiming at the parallel detection of multiple parameters in a single sensor chip
different sensing principles can be applied on the same basic sensor platform. Utilizing absorbance as sensing principle is
demonstrated by an integrated carbon dioxide sensor, fluorescence as sensing principle is demonstrated by an integrated
oxygen sensor. The versatility of this integrated waveguide platform is further demonstrated by employing surface
plasmon resonance as sensing principle, enabling real-time and label-free detection of a wide range of analytes.
Optoelectronical components and devices based on organic materials offer a wealth of possibilities in terms of
integration, miniaturization and potentially low-cost fabrication for relevant applications, notwithstanding a performance
that may fall short of conventional state-of-the-art systems. In this context we report on progress towards the
combination of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensing with a monolithically integrated optical sensor platform based
on organic materials, including an organic light emitting diode, an optical polymer waveguide and an organic photo
diode. Several according components have been developed and demonstrated recently and were exemplarily applied to
fluorescence lifetime detection. Aiming at multianalyte performance we add SPR to this platform, which enables the
sensitive, real-time and label-free detection of a wide range of analytes. The SPR detection scheme is based on a gold
surface sustaining a surface plasmon mode which reacts sensitively to analyte-induced refractive index changes. Here,
we report on the investigation of the sensor response of a 50 nm thick gold film on an 11 μm thick multimode polymer
waveguide. The feasibility of this sensor concept is shown and its sensitivity is estimated from measuring the intensity
transmitted trough the waveguide at a single wavelength. In addition, some further steps towards full integration are
discussed.
Due to the light scattering processes that take place within the color conversion elements (CCE) of phosphor converted
light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and the rather different emission characteristics of the blue LED and the converted light,
which have to be matched by the scattering processes, a better understanding of the underlying physical aspects is
indispensable for device optimization. We give, based on optical ray-tracing, a comprehensive survey on the parameters
that effect color conversion and light scattering within the CCEs of phosphor converted LEDs. Studies range from
variations of the geometrical (height, width) to the compositional (concentration of the phosphor in the matrix material,
differences of the refractive indices of the matrix and the phosphor materials, phosphor particle size) parameters and
identify their respective impacts on the color temperatures and the luminous efficacies of the respective LEDs.
The performance of an optical sensor device working on the basis of integrated waveguides relies on the efficient
coupling of light into and out of the waveguide. Conventional coupling methods are based on the usage of
optical components such as prisms or gratings. An alternative approach utilizes fluorescent molecules inside
the core material of the waveguide, and thereby avoids complex and time consuming alignment procedures. In
that context the application of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) enables the effective separation
of excitation and emission light due to a large effective Stokes shift and accordingly small re-absorption of the
dye molecules. Within the framework of the presented work, fluorescent molecules are used to couple light into
a PDMS/polystyrene waveguide system. The dye molecules are optically characterized and embedded into the
waveguide system. It is demonstrated that the position of the molecules relative to the waveguide influences the
amount of light coupled into the system. The efficient coupling of light out of the waveguide is important to guide
the light to a detecting device for directly measuring the optical throughput through the system. Two basic out
coupling principles have been applied, end-face coupling and out coupling at scattering layers. The system has
also been examined by means of ray tracing simulations, which reveal the influence of various system parameters
such as the position of the dye molecules in the waveguide core and optical properties of the materials.
Today's most common approach for solid state lighting relies on the conversion of a portion of the blue light emitted
from the LED die by an inorganic phosphor material. Although this concept, at a first glance, seems to be rather simple,
the appropriate shape of the color conversion element (CCE) in white LED light sources turns out to have essential
significance for the quality of the white light (especially in terms of angular homogeneity). In this contribution we
discuss recent developments and novel coating concepts for LEDs that excel in terms of spatial homogeneity of the
emission and variability of the color temperature, which on the one hand can be attributed to the application of Silicate
based phosphors, a beneficial class of luminescent materials for LED application, and on the other hand on optimized
CCE geometries, which were obtained by numerical calculations with the help of state-of-the-art simulation tools.
Solid state lighting offers a lot of novel prospects for tomorrows customized lighting solutions. None the less, to compete
with and to surpass the performance of the traditional lighting systems, design and development of LED light sources is
still facing the necessity of further improvements, in particular with respect to device efficiency and light control. In this
contribution we discuss recent developments and novel strategies in order to improve the light extraction efficiency as
well as to affect the directionality of the light emitted from high power LEDs. In order to be up to characterize these
modifications with high spatial resolution, novel characterization techniques, like the implementation of a confocal
principle into the measurement set-up are discussed.
To compete with and to surpass the performance of traditional lighting systems, white LED development is still facing
the necessity of further improvements. An important topic that has to be addressed in this context is the spatial
homogeneity of the white light emitted, an issue that is directly associated with the geometry and the composition of the
color conversion elements (CCE) in phosphor converted LEDs. In order to avoid the need for experimental realization
and inspection of a large number of different configurations and compositions, optical simulation provides a time- and
cost saving alternative. In this contribution we discuss a simulation procedure which allows us to predict optimized
solutions for the CCEs in white LED light sources. The simulation process involves the set-up of a model for the blue
emitting LED chip and the implementation of a multitude of different geometries and compositions of individual CCEs
on top of the chip. Since the light is scattered within the CCEs, the respective scattering model, which considers the
phosphor particle size distribution and the phosphor weight fraction is of particular importance. In the final sequence of
the modeling procedure color uniformity is checked by monitoring the irradiance distributions both for the blue LED
light and the yellow converted light separately on a detector. From a comparison of the simulation results for a
significant number of different layouts we can deduce the impact of the individual materials parameters and predict
optimized CCEs which are finally compared with real device set-ups in order to verify the accuracy of the simulation
procedure.
Provided that suitable materials are available, novel structuring methods, such as two-photon-3D-lithography
(2P3DL) and nano-imprint-lithography (NIL) are promising approaches for the fabrication of organic complex
2D and 3D structures. Optical materials based on photopolymerizable resins combined with novel efficient
multi-photon photoinitiators can be used for a fast and simple fabrication of μ-optical components for
MOEMS. The true 3D capabilities and the high spatial resolution of the 2P3DL permit the fabrication of nearly
any optical designs from CAD. With supplementary feedback controlled positioning of the laser focus, a
material can be processed at an explicit target position, e.g. on an organic LED or photo cell. The position of
fabricated μ-optics relative to such devices is determined by 3D sample registration prior to the structuring
process. Therefore, the alignment of laser written structures to existing sample features becomes a part of
the fabrication process and no further assembly is required.
We demonstrate the design and the fabrication of various
μ-optical structures such as waveguides and μ-lenses for photonic μ-systems by means of 2P3DL. Furthermore, μ-lens masters prototyped by means of
two-photon-3D-lithography and their replication via a PDMS stamp by means of NIL are presented. In
addition, it can be shown that such μ-optical systems can be fabricated in situ on organic LEDs or organic
photo cells enabling powerful building blocks for μ-optical systems.
A compact, integrated photoluminescence based oxygen and pH sensor, utilizing an organic
light emitting device (OLED) as the light source and an organic photodiode (OPD) as the
detection unit, is described. The main challenge in such an integrated sensor is the suppression
of the excitation light at the detector, which is typically by many orders of magnitude higher in
intensity than the emitted fluorescence. In our approach we refrain from utilizing edge filters
which require narrowband excitation sources and dyes with an adequate large stoke shift. We
developed an integrated sensor concept relying on two polarizers to separate the emission and
excitation light. One polarizer is located right after the OLED, while the other one, oriented at 90°
to the first, is placed in front of the OPD. The main advantage of this solution is that any
combination of excitation and emission light is acceptable, even if the two signals overlap
spectrally. This is especially important for the use of OLEDs as the excitation sources, as these
devices typically exhibit a broad spectral emission.
Dielectric thin films on a metal surface are an efficient means in terms of effective index contrast to realize optical
elements for surface plasmon (SPs). We show that laterally structured thin films can on one hand be applied as
SP lenses or prisms. On the other hand, they can be applied as SP waveguides, including bends and couplers.
By electron-beam lithography (EBL) 1D and 2D arrangements of metal nanoparticles can be fabricated with high control of particle shape, particle orientation and arrangement pattern. As the plasmon resonances in metal nanoparticles are primarily determined by the particle shape, their optical properties can be controlled within a wide range by design of the particle geometry parameters. Additionally, the control of local field effects, due to electrodynamic particle interaction, is possible by tailoring the interparticle distances and the specific arrangement pattern. Such EBL-produced metal nanoparticle thin films can be optimised for several optical properties, e.g. for defined dichroic behaviour.
In particular our metal nanoparticle films can be used very efficiently in the field of surface enhanced optical effects. By plasmon resonance control defined energetic interactions between fluorophors and the metal nanoparticle can be obtained, leading to a control of balance between radiating and non-radiating deexcitation pathways. Thus, the fluorophor-particle interaction modifies the fluorophor's absorption properties, its fluorescence intensities, fluorescence lifetime and photobleaching rates.
We report on the optical excitation of plasmon modes in elongated gold nanoparticles. Beside dipolar plasmon modes higher order plasmon modes can be excited. As has been reported recently for elongated silver nanoparticles (Krenn et al., Appl.Phys.Lett 77, 3379 (2000)) this geometry gives rise to narrow extinction bands that are spectrally well separated.
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