No Arabic abstract
Metallic nanoparticle-on-a-mirror (NPoM) cavities enable extreme field confinement in sub-nm gaps, leading to unrivaled performance for nonlinear processes such as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). So far, prevailing experimental approaches based on NPoMs have been performed by means of free-space light excitation and collection under oblique incidence, since the fundamental radiatively-coupled NPoM mode does not scatter in the normal direction. Retaining this working principle, here we numerically show that plasmonic cavity modes in NPoM configurations can be efficiently excited in an integrated SERS approach through TM guided modes of silicon nitride (SiN) waveguides. Intensity enhancements beyond 10$^{5}$ can be achieved for gap spacings around 1 nm. So as to reduce unwanted SiN Raman background, the output Stokes signals are transferred to transversely placed waveguides, reaching coupling efficiencies of up to 10%. Geometrical parameters such as the gap thickness as well as the radius and position of the nanoparticle provide full control over the main spectral features, thereby enabling us to engineer and drive the optical response of NPoMs for high-performance SERS in Si-based photonic integrated platforms.
Monolithic integration of quantum emitters in nanoscale plasmonic circuitry requires low-loss plasmonic configurations capable of confining light well below the diffraction limit. We demonstrate on-chip remote excitation of nanodiamond-embedded single quantum emitters by plasmonic modes of dielectric ridges atop colloidal silver crystals. The nanodiamonds are produced to incorporate single germanium-vacancy (GeV) centers, providing bright, spectrally narrow and stable single-photon sources suitable for highly integrated circuits. Using electron-beam lithography with hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ) resist, dielectric-loaded surface plasmon polariton waveguides (DLSPPWs) are fabricated on single crystalline silver plates so as to contain those of spin-casted nanodiamonds that are found to feature appropriate single GeV centers. The low-loss plasmonic configuration enabled the 532 nm pump laser light to propagate on-chip in the DLSPPW and reach to an embedded nanodiamond where a single GeV center is incorporated. The remote GeV emitter is thereby excited and coupled to spatially confined DLSPPW modes with an outstanding figure-of-merit of 180 due to a ~6-fold Purcell enhancement, ~56% coupling efficiency and ~33 {mu}m transmission length, revealing the potential of our approach for on-chip realization of nanoscale functional quantum devices.
We report a novel approach for on-chip electrical detection of the radiation guided by dielectric-loaded surface plasmon polariton waveguides (DLSPPW) and DLSPPW-based components. The detection is realized by fabricating DLSPPW components on the surface of a gold (Au) pad supported by a silicon (Si) substrate supplied with aluminum pads facilitating electrical connections, with the gold pad being perforated in a specific locations below the DLSPPWs in order to allow a portion of the DLSPPW-guided radiation to leak into the Si-substrate, where it is absorbed and electrically detected. We present two-dimensional photocurrent maps obtained when the laser beam is scanning across the gold pad containing the fabricated DLSPPW components that are excited via grating couplers located at the DLSPPW tapered terminations. By comparing photocurrent signals obtained when scanning over a DLSPPW straight waveguide with those related to a DLSPPW racetrack resonator, we first determine the background signal level and then the corrected DLSPPW resonator spectral response, which is found consistent with that obtained from full wave numerical simulations. The approach developed can be extended to other plasmonic waveguide configurations and advantageously used for rapid characterization of complicated plasmonic circuits.
As an analogue of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT), plasmon-induced transparency (PIT) has been realized both in plasmonic metamaterial and waveguide structures. Via near-field coupling within unit cells, PIT with broadband could be produced by plasmonic metamaterials, which, however, has not been realized in on-chip plasmonic waveguide structures. Here, we introduce broadband PIT based on a plasmonic metal-insulator-metal (MIM) waveguide system. Utilizing the direct coupling structure, PIT emerges based on an easy-fabricated structure without gap. By tuning coupling distance, the transparent window can be continuously tuned from narrow- to broadband. Such device is promising for on-chip applications on sensing, filtering and slow light over a broad frequency range.
High temporal stability and spin dynamics of individual nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond crystals make them one of the most promising quantum emitters operating at room temperature. We demonstrate a chip-integrated cavity-coupled emission into propagating surface plasmon polariton (SPP) modes narrowing NV centers broad emission bandwidth with enhanced coupling efficiency. The cavity resonator consists of two distributed Bragg mirrors that are built at opposite sides of the coupled NV emitter and are integrated with a dielectric-loaded SPP waveguide (DLSPPW), using electron-beam lithography of hydrogen silsesquioxane resist deposited on silver-coated silicon substrates. A quality factor of ~ 70 for the cavity (full width at half maximum ~ 10 nm) with full tunability of the resonance wavelength is demonstrated. An up to 42-fold decay rate enhancement of the spontaneous emission at the cavity resonance is achieved, indicating high DLSPPW mode confinement.
On-chip realization of complex photonic functionalities is essential for further progress in planar integrated nanophotonics, especially when involving nonclassical light sources such as quantum emitters (QEs). Hybrid plasmonic nanocircuits integrated with QEs have been attracting considerable attention due to the prospects of significantly enhancing QE emission rates and miniaturizing quantum nanophotonic components. Spin-orbit interactions on subwavelength scales have been increasingly explored in both conventional and quantum nanophotonics for realization and utilization of the spin-dependent flow of light. Here, we propose and realize a dielectric-loaded plasmonic nanocircuit consisting of an achiral spin-orbit coupler for unidirectional routing of pump radiation into branched QE-integrated waveguides. We demonstrate experimentally the circular-polarization controlled coupling of 532-nm pump laser light into polymer-loaded branched waveguides followed by the excitation of spatially separated (by a distance of ~ 10 {mu}m) QEs, nanodiamonds, with multiple nitrogen vacancy centres, that are embedded in and efficiently coupled to the corresponding waveguides. The realization of on-chip spin-orbit controlled excitation of different QEs coupled to branched waveguides opens new avenues for designing complex quantum plasmonic nanocircuits exploiting the spin degree of freedom within chiral quantum nanophotonics.