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Effect of metal film thickness on Tamm plasmon-coupled emission.

ABSTRACT: Tamm plasmons (TPs) are the result of trapping optical energy at the interface between a metal film and a one-dimensional photonic crystal. In contrast to surface plasmons, TPs display unique properties such as the ability to undergo direct optical excitation without the aid of prisms or gratings, being populated using both S- and P-polarized light, and importantly, they can be created with incident light normal to the surface. This latter property has recently been used to obtain Tamm plasmon-coupled emission (TPCE), which beams along a path directly perpendicular to the surface. In this paper the effects of metal film thickness on the TPCE are investigated using back focal plane (BFP) imaging and spectral resolutions. The observed experimental results are in agreement with the numerical simulations. The present work provides the basic understanding needed to design structures for TPCE, which in turn has potential applications in the fabrication of active materials for light emitting devices, fluorescence-based sensing, using microarrays, and imaging.

SUBMITTER: Chen Y

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4438750 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Effect of metal film thickness on Tamm plasmon-coupled emission.

Chen Yikai Y Zhang Douguo D Zhu Liangfu L Fu Qiang Q Wang Ruxue R Wang Pei P Ming Hai H Badugu Ramachandram R Lakowicz Joseph R JR

Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP 20141028 46

Tamm plasmons (TPs) are the result of trapping optical energy at the interface between a metal film and a one-dimensional photonic crystal. In contrast to surface plasmons, TPs display unique properties such as the ability to undergo direct optical excitation without the aid of prisms or gratings, being populated using both S- and P-polarized light, and importantly, they can be created with incident light normal to the surface. This latter property has recently been used to obtain Tamm plasmon-c ...[more]

PMID: 25349013

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Project description:We report the effect of the probe location and wavelength on the emission spatial distribution and spectral properties of fluorophores located on structures which display Tamm states. Our structure consists of a one-dimensional photonic crystal (1DPC)-that is, a multilayer structure of alternate high and low refractive index dielectrics-and a thin top silver film. Simulations show the presence of Tamm and surface plasmon modes in the structure. The electric field intensities for the Tamm modes are located mostly in the dielectric layer below the metal film. The corresponding field intensities for the surface plamon modes are located above the metal film in the distal side. Tamm states can be in resonance with the incident light normal or near normal to the surface, within the light line, and can be accessed without the use of a coupling prism or gratings. We investigated the emission spectra and angular distribution of the emission for probes located above and below the metal film to explore the interaction of fluorophores with Tamm plasmons and surface plasmons modes. Three probes were chosen with different overlap of the emission spectra with the Tamm modes. The fluorophores below the metal film coupled predominantly with the Tamm state and displayed more intense and only Tamm state-coupled emission (TSCE). Probes above the metal film display both surface plasmon-coupled emission (SPCE) and Tamm state-coupled emission. In contrast to SPCE, which shows only KR, P-polarized emission, the Tamm states can display both S- and P-polarized emission and can be populated using both RK and KR illuminations. The TSCE angle is highly sensitive to wavelength, which suggests the use of Tamm structures to provide both directional emission and wavelength dispersion. The combination of plasmonic and photonic structures with directional emission close to surface normal offers the opportunities for new design formats for clinical testing, portable devices, and other fluorescence-based applications.

Project description: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 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 at close distances from a thin metal film, typically silver, display emission over a small range of angles into the substrate. A disadvantage of SPCE is that the emission occurs at large angles relative to the surface normal and at angles that are larger than the critical angle for the glass substrate. The large angles make it difficult to collect all of the coupled emission and have prevented the use of SPCE with high-throughput and/or array applications. In the current article, we describe a simple multilayer metal-dielectric structure that allows excitation with light that is perpendicular (normal) to the plane and provides emission within a narrow angular distribution that is normal to the plane. This structure consists of a thin silver film on top of a multilayer 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 exist with zero in-plane wavevector components and can be created without the use of a coupling prism. 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 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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Effect of metal film thickness on Tamm plasmon-coupled emission.

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Effect of metal film thickness on Tamm plasmon-coupled emission.

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