Technology Opportunities

Quantum dots embedded in sub-wavelength metallic nanoslit array

Highlights

• Miniaturized photonic devices require tiny optical elements that can manipulate light down to the single photon limit.
• Tiny active elements for emission and absorption of photons and means to manipulate this light locally on the same sub-wavelength length scale of the nano-emitters are needed.
• Nanocrystal quantum dots (NQDs) are used as sources of single photon emissions and represent the building blocks for optical quantum information devices as well as multi-photon sources for other classical light applications (biology, displays etc.).
• However, current methods for extracting and harvesting photons from quantum dots are generally not well controlled and the timing and directionality of the emitted photons are difficult to manipulate.

Our Innovation

Nanocrystal quantum dots are embedded in a sub-wavelength metallic nanoslit array to produce highly directional emission and beaming of photons.

Figure from: http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/nl200052j

Key Features

• The emission probability of a quantum dot into the narrow angular mode is greatly enhanced compared to the emission probability to all other modes.
• Provides spatial control of the optical properties of nanoemitters at both the single and the multiple photon level.

Development Milestones

• Seeking funding for ongoing research into improving the method for single and multiple photon sources

The Opportunity

• Can be used for any application where the direction of emitted light is important – whenever the source receives light from any direction, it will respond by emitting photons in one direction only. Very sensitive to the environmental index of refraction, therefore can sense very small changes in composition of solutions such as various biological and chemical solutions.
• Displays
• Bio-chemical sensing
• Laser targets for military, security, and civilian applications