There is a continuing need to increase the brightness and photostability of fluorophores for use in biotechnology, medical diagnostics and cell imaging. One approach developed during the past decade is to use metallic surfaces and nanostructures. It is now known that excited state fluorophores display near-field interactions with surface plasmons which can increase the radiative decay rates, modify the spatial distribution of emission and result in directional emission. One important example is Surface Plasmon-Coupled Emission (SPCE). In this phenomenon the fluorophores couple at near-field distances to a thin metal film, typically silver, and display emission over a small range of angles into the substrate. A disadvantage of SPCE is that the emission occur at large angles relative to the surface normal, and at angles which are larger than the critical angle for the glass substrate. The large angles make it difficult to collect all the coupled emission and have prevented use of SPCE with high-throughput and/or array applications. In the present report we describe a simple multi-layer metal-dielectric structure which allows excitation with light that is perpendicular (normal) to the plane and provides emission within a narrow angular distribution also normal to the plane. This structure consist of a thin silver film on top of a multi-layer dielectric Bragg grating, with no nanoscale features except for the metal or dielectric layer thicknesses. Our structure is designed to support optical Tamm states, which are trapped electromagnetic modes between the metal film and the underlying Bragg grating. We used simulations with the transfer matrix method to understand the optical properties of Tamm states and localization of the modes or electric fields in the structure. Tamm states can be created by illumination without a coupling prism. Tamm states can exist with no in-plane wavevector. We show that fluorophores on top of the metal film can interact with the Tamm state under the metal film and display Tamm state-coupled emission (TSCE). In contrast to surface plasmons and SPCE, the Tamm states can display either S- or P-polarization. The TSCE angle is highly sensitive to wavelength which suggests the use of Tamm structures to provide both directional emission and wavelength dispersion. Metallic structures can modify fluorophore decay rates but also have high losses. Photonic crystals have low losses, but may lack the enhanced light-induced fields near metals. The combination of plasmonic and photonic structures offers the opportunity for radiative decay engineering to design new formats for clinical testing and other fluorescence-based applications.

Radiative Decay Engineering 7: Tamm State-Coupled Emission Using a Hybrid Plasmonic-Photonic Structure / Ramachandram, Badugu; Descrovi, Emiliano; Joseph R., Lakowicz. - In: ANALYTICAL BIOCHEMISTRY. - ISSN 0003-2697. - 445:(2014), pp. 1-13. [10.1016/j.ab.2013.10.009]

Radiative Decay Engineering 7: Tamm State-Coupled Emission Using a Hybrid Plasmonic-Photonic Structure

DESCROVI, EMILIANO;
2014

Abstract

There is a continuing need to increase the brightness and photostability of fluorophores for use in biotechnology, medical diagnostics and cell imaging. One approach developed during the past decade is to use metallic surfaces and nanostructures. It is now known that excited state fluorophores display near-field interactions with surface plasmons which can increase the radiative decay rates, modify the spatial distribution of emission and result in directional emission. One important example is Surface Plasmon-Coupled Emission (SPCE). In this phenomenon the fluorophores couple at near-field distances to a thin metal film, typically silver, and display emission over a small range of angles into the substrate. A disadvantage of SPCE is that the emission occur at large angles relative to the surface normal, and at angles which are larger than the critical angle for the glass substrate. The large angles make it difficult to collect all the coupled emission and have prevented use of SPCE with high-throughput and/or array applications. In the present report we describe a simple multi-layer metal-dielectric structure which allows excitation with light that is perpendicular (normal) to the plane and provides emission within a narrow angular distribution also normal to the plane. This structure consist of a thin silver film on top of a multi-layer dielectric Bragg grating, with no nanoscale features except for the metal or dielectric layer thicknesses. Our structure is designed to support optical Tamm states, which are trapped electromagnetic modes between the metal film and the underlying Bragg grating. We used simulations with the transfer matrix method to understand the optical properties of Tamm states and localization of the modes or electric fields in the structure. Tamm states can be created by illumination without a coupling prism. Tamm states can exist with no in-plane wavevector. We show that fluorophores on top of the metal film can interact with the Tamm state under the metal film and display Tamm state-coupled emission (TSCE). In contrast to surface plasmons and SPCE, the Tamm states can display either S- or P-polarization. The TSCE angle is highly sensitive to wavelength which suggests the use of Tamm structures to provide both directional emission and wavelength dispersion. Metallic structures can modify fluorophore decay rates but also have high losses. Photonic crystals have low losses, but may lack the enhanced light-induced fields near metals. The combination of plasmonic and photonic structures offers the opportunity for radiative decay engineering to design new formats for clinical testing and other fluorescence-based applications.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11583/2515716
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