Gold nanoantennas on VO2 based layered structures for ultrafast control and enhancement of light emission.
The lack of compact and effective light sources and optical amplifiers with high efficiency in the near-IR region is one of the main unresolved issues against the application of nanophotonic integrated circuits for future computers and information systems. Despite the great success of semiconductor optical amplifiers and lasers, several intrinsic deficiencies limit their performances. Our project aims to evaluate the possibility of realization of alternative efficient, solid-state, ultrafast-modulated emitting source at telecom wavelengths (1.5 µm). This target will be pursued combining the enhancement of Er emission rate in silica due to resonant near-field localization in plasmonic nanoantenna arrays with the fast commutation time triggered by the ultrafast switching between the metal/insulator phase of VO2 thin films coupled with the Er emitters. This provides an external dynamical control of the local optical density of states around the Er emitters. In addition, the coupling with ordered nanoantenna arrays can be used to control the far-eld scattering pattern, in terms of direction and polarization state of the emitted radiation. This control of polarization is the key to advanced imaging techniques such as stimulated emission depletion (STED) or differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopies. This Project could take these techniques to the next level as well as enabling new polarization-dependent light-emitting devices for applications in imaging, optical displays, sensing, and spectroscopy.