A Hybrid Plasmonic−Photonic Nanodevice for Label-Free Detection of a Few Molecules

Angelis, Francesco De; Patrini, M.; Das, Gobind; Maksymov, Ivan S.; Galli, Mattéo; Businaro, Luca; Andreani, Lucio Claudio; Fabrizio, E. Di

doi:10.1021/nl801112e

Cited by 223 publications

(183 citation statements)

References 29 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

179

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…As a result, SPPs can be focused beyond the diffraction limit in three dimensions on a sub-wavelength spot, with drastically enhanced optical intensity [12][13][14] . The effect of SPP adiabatic nanofocusing has been confirmed, studied and also tested for nanometre-scale microscopy in a series of earlier experiments [15][16][17][18][19] .In our investigation, this intriguing phenomenon of SPP adiabatic nanofocusing is used to generate ultrashort extreme ultraviolet (EUV) pulses directly from near-infrared (NIR) pulses. As depicted in Fig.…”

mentioning

confidence: 69%

Plasmonic generation of ultrashort extreme-ultraviolet light pulses

et al. 2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Ultrashort extreme-ultraviolet pulses are a key tool in timeresolved spectroscopy for the investigation of electronic motion in atoms 1,2 , molecules 3 and solids 4 . High-harmonic generation is a well-established process for producing ultrashort extreme-ultraviolet pulses by direct frequency upconversion of femtosecond near-infrared pulses [5][6][7] . However, elaborate pump-probe experiments performed on the attosecond timescale 8,9 require continuous efforts to improve the spatiotemporal coherence and also the repetition rate of the generated pulses. Here, we demonstrate a three-dimensional metallic waveguide for the plasmonic generation of ultrashort extreme-ultraviolet pulses by means of field enhancement using surface-plasmon polaritons. The intensity enhancement factor reaches a peak of ∼350, allowing generation up to the 43rd harmonic in xenon gas, with a modest incident intensity of ∼1 3 10 11 W cm -2 . The pulse repetition rate is maintained as high as 75 MHz without external cavities. The plasmonic waveguide is fabricated on a cantilever microstructure and is therefore suitable for near-field spectroscopy with nanometre-scale lateral selectivity.Surface-plasmon polaritons (SPPs) are described as the electromagnetic wave propagating along a metal-dielectric interface that results from coupling between incident photons and surface plasmons 10,11 . In nanostructured tapered waveguides, SPPs can be controlled to adiabatically follow the geometric shape of the waveguide and asymptotically stop at the tip of the taper where the local crosssectional dimension becomes infinitesimally small 12,13 . As a result, SPPs can be focused beyond the diffraction limit in three dimensions on a sub-wavelength spot, with drastically enhanced optical intensity [12][13][14] . The effect of SPP adiabatic nanofocusing has been confirmed, studied and also tested for nanometre-scale microscopy in a series of earlier experiments [15][16][17][18][19] .In our investigation, this intriguing phenomenon of SPP adiabatic nanofocusing is used to generate ultrashort extreme ultraviolet (EUV) pulses directly from near-infrared (NIR) pulses. As depicted in Fig. 1, a three-dimensional waveguide was devised to concentrate the incident NIR pulses into a sub-wavelength spot, allowing highharmonic generation of EUV light pulses to take place with high spatiotemporal coherence. The waveguide is a metallic nanostructure made of silver and has a hollow hole that takes the shape of a tapered cone with its elliptical cross-section decreasing from the inlet aperture (minor-axis diameter, 2 mm) to the exit aperture (minor-axis diameter, 100 nm). The incident NIR pulses are focused on the inlet aperture at a repetition rate of 75 MHz with a moderate intensity of 1 × 10 11 W cm 22 . While each NIR pulse propagates through the tapered hole towards the exit aperture, the electric field intensity inside the hole undergoes a substantial boost that is sustained by the SPPs driven by the incident NIR pulse. Consequently, high-harmonic EUV pulses are generate...

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 69%

Plasmonic generation of ultrashort extreme-ultraviolet light pulses

et al. 2011

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The subwavelength scale of these clusters means that their optical response is highly dependent on their specific geometry (22). Consequently, control over their structure enables control over their optical properties, with implications for cloaking (23), chemical sensing (24), imaging (25), nonlinear optics (26), and the creation of so-called metafluids (27)(28)(29), among a host of other applications (30). Recent work on plasmonic nanoclusters of faceted particles including nanocubes (31), nanoprisms (32), and nanooctahedra (33) introduces an additional means by which to tailor optical response.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Clusters of polyhedra in spherical confinement

Teich

Anders

Klotsa

et al. 2016

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Dense particle packing in a confining volume remains a rich, largely unexplored problem, despite applications in blood clotting, plasmonics, industrial packaging and transport, colloidal molecule design, and information storage. Here, we report densest found clusters of the Platonic solids in spherical confinement, for up to N = 60 constituent polyhedral particles. We examine the interplay between anisotropic particle shape and isotropic 3D confinement. Densest clusters exhibit a wide variety of symmetry point groups and form in up to three layers at higher N. For many N values, icosahedra and dodecahedra form clusters that resemble sphere clusters. These common structures are layers of optimal spherical codes in most cases, a surprising fact given the significant faceting of the icosahedron and dodecahedron. We also investigate cluster density as a function of N for each particle shape. We find that, in contrast to what happens in bulk, polyhedra often pack less densely than spheres. We also find especially dense clusters at so-called magic numbers of constituent particles. Our results showcase the structural diversity and experimental utility of families of solutions to the packing in confinement problem.clusters | confinement | packing | colloids | nanoparticles P henomena as diverse as crowding in the cell (1, 2), DNA packaging in cell nuclei and virus capsids (3, 4), the growth of cellular aggregates (5), biological pattern formation (6), blood clotting (7), efficient manufacturing and transport, the planning and design of cellular networks (8), and efficient food and pharmaceutical packaging and transport (9) are related to the optimization problem of packing objects of a specified shape as densely as possible within a confining geometry, or packing in confinement. Packing in confinement is also a laboratory technique used to produce particle aggregates with consistent structure. These aggregates may serve as building blocks (or "colloidal molecules") in hierarchical structures (10, 11), information storage units (12), or drug delivery capsules (13). Experiments concerning cluster formation via spherical droplet confinement (13-20) are of special interest here. Droplets are typically either oil-in-water or water-inoil emulsions, and particle aggregation is induced via the evaporation of the droplet solvent. Clusters may be hollow [in which case they are termed "colloidosomes" (13)] or filled, depending on the formation protocol, and may contain a few (15) to a few billion (14) particles. Clusters of several metallic nanoparticles are especially intriguing given their ability to support surface plasmon modes over a range of frequencies (21). The subwavelength scale of these clusters means that their optical response is highly dependent on their specific geometry (22). Consequently, control over their structure enables control over their optical properties, with implications for cloaking (23), chemical sensing (24), imaging (25), nonlinear optics (26), and the creation of so-called metafluids (27)(28)(29), a...

show abstract

“…Therefore, the combination of plasmonic nanostructures with vibrational spectroscopies can be used to manipulate light-matter interactions, giving rise to fascinating perspective towards the production of novel biosensor devices (Anker et al, 2008;Das et al, 2009;De Angelis, 2008, 2010b. There is thus intensive activity oriented at the fabrication of tailored nanostructures endowed with the desired plasmonic properties.…”

Section: Elongated Nanoparticle Arraysmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This property makes metallic NPs particularly interesting in spectroscopy. In Raman spectroscopy, this phenomenon is known as Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) effect; it allows the detection or very diluted solutions, where very few molecules are present, overcoming the normal limit of Raman due to the great fluorescence which, in these cases, may cover molecules signals (Kneipp et al, 1997;De Angelis, 2008, 2010b. In fact, when a molecule is very close to a metallic nanostructure the LSP formation, under the laser effect, generates a giant enhancement of Raman signal Nie & Emory, 1997;Creighton et al, 1979).…”

Section: Nps Based Plasmonics Devices For Sers Applicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%