Optical recording on organic thin films with a high spatial resolution is promising for high-density optical memories, optical computing, and security systems. The spatial resolution of the optical recording is limited by the diffraction of light. Electrons can be focused to a nanometer-sized spot, providing the potential for achieving better resolution. In conventional electron-beam lithography, however, optical tuning of the fabricated structures is limited mostly to metals and semiconductors rather than organic materials. In this article, we report a fabrication method of luminescent organic architectures using a focused electron beam. We optimized the fabrication conditions of the electron beam to generate chemical species showing visible photoluminescence via two-photon near-infrared excitations. We utilized this fabrication method to draw nanoscale optical architectures on a polystyrene thin film.

Nanocarbon-based materials have excellent properties, including high electrical conductivity as well as charity-dependent optical absorption and luminescence; therefore, the materials are promising in applications for nanoelectric devices, nanophotonics, and so on. Carbon dots (CDs) are one of the carbon materials recently fabricated. Optical properties of CDs have been reported to be similar to those of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). For this reason, the CDs are considered to be composed of PAH. Synthesis of CDs has previously been accomplished through hydrothermal synthesis and microwave irradiation. These methods require a long synthesis time, and the processes involve multiple steps. In this study, we developed a fabrication method of CDs in simple and spatially selective ways, by using radical reactions in an organic polymer film with focused electron-beam irradiation. We investigated various organic polymers as reaction materials and found that polystyrene has a higher efficiency for CD formation than other organic polymers investigated. Absorption, photoluminescence, and Raman scattering properties of the electron-beam-irradiated sample were in good agreement with those reported for the CDs. The technique developed in this study is promising for fabricating light-emitting CDs and photonic crystals in a simple and flexible manner.

Carbon dots are attracting much attention because of their low toxicity, biocompatibility, and photostability. In this study, we fabricate carbon dot−metal nanoparticle composites using electron-beam-induced chemical reactions to improve the photoluminescence characteristics. We investigate the spectral characteristics of the composites by linear and nonlinear optical spectroscopy. The composites show plasmon resonance depending on the material used. The linear and nonlinear photoluminescence from the composites are enhanced by plasmon excitations, and the enhancement reaches nearly several times and 20 times, respectively. We also fabricate nanowire structures containing the composites. The structures show very intense photoluminescence and unique polarization characteristics depending on the wire width. We reveal that the polarization characteristics originate from the plasmonic coupling along the short axis of the wire. The technique developed in this study is promising for the polarization control of light-emitting elements and the creation of new functional nanomaterials.

Carbon dots (CDs) exhibit chemical stability and low toxicity, so they are promising for biomedical and imaging applications. The quantum yield of the photoluminescence is typically 10−20%, which limits practical applications. We fabricate carbon dot-gold nanoparticle photonic crystals (CD-GNP PCs) and demonstrate enhanced photoluminescence intensity from the carbon dots using the photonic and plasmonic double-resonant effects. A severalfold enhancement was obtained compared to the neat CD. The method developed in this study provides a universal scheme to enhance light-emitting materials, which is promising for the development of ultrahigh molecular sensing and bioimaging techniques.