Multilayer plasmonic photonic structures embedding photochromic molecules or optical gain molecules

Abstract

We design photonic structures embedding different functional molecular systems of photochromic switching and lasing. We study the light absorption of two photochromic molecules and of 4,4'-bis[(N-carbazole)styryl]biphenyl (BSB-Cz) with density functional theory. For the photochromic diarylethene we derivate the refractive index with Kramers-Kronig relations and we design multilayer photonic structures alternating diarylethene with either poly vinyl carbazole or fluorine indium co-doped cadmium oxide (FICO) nanoparticlebased layers. For BSB-Cz we design a one-dimensional photonic crystal alternating BSB-Cz layers wit SiO2 layers and a microcavity embedding BSB-Cz between indium tin oxide (ITO) / FICO nanoparticle-based multilayers.

Optical properties of a tunable microcavity/microsphere polymeric composite

“…The complex refractive index, as a function of wavelength, of diarylethene1, in its open and close form, has been taken from Ref. [29].…”

All-Optical Emission Control and Lasing in Plasmonic Lattices

“…31 Finally, a microcavity-based serial combination of all-optical components has been demonstrated, 32 a necessary prerequisite for more complex logical operations. Plasmonic photoswitchable lasing has been theoretically proposed for multilayer plasmonic−photonic structures, 33 and a photoswitchable spaser was experimentally demonstrated with gold nanoparticles in a polymer shell covered with fluorescent proteins. 34 Here, we demonstrate all-optical switching of lasing in plasmonic nanoparticle lattices using photochromic spiropyran derivatives.…”