@phdthesis{Grimm2023, author = {Grimm, Philipp Martin}, title = {Locally driven complex plasmonic nanoantenna systems}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-30315}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-303152}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Metallic nanostructures possess the ability to support resonances in the visible wavelength regime which are related to localized surface plasmons. These create highly enhanced electric fields in the immediate vicinity of metal surfaces. Nanoparticles with dipolar resonance also radiate efficiently into the far-field and hence serve as antennas for light. Such optical antennas have been explored during the last two decades, however, mainly as standalone units illuminated by external laser beams and more recently as electrically driven point sources, yet merely with basic antenna properties. This work advances the state of the art of locally driven optical antenna systems. As a first instance, the electric driving scheme including inelastic electron tunneling over a nanometer gap is merged with Yagi-Uda theory. The resulting antenna system consists of a suitably wired feed antenna, incorporating a tunnel junction, as well as several nearby parasitic elements whose geometry is optimized using analytical and numerical methods. Experimental evidence of unprecedented directionality of light emission from a nanoantenna is provided. Parallels in the performance between radiofrequency and optical Yagi-Uda arrays are drawn. Secondly, a pair of electrically connected antennas with dissimilar resonances is harnessed as electrodes in an organic light emitting nanodiode prototype. The organic material zinc phthalocyanine, exhibiting asymmetric injection barriers for electrons and holes, in conjunction with the electrode resonances, allows switching and controlling the emitted peak wavelength and directionality as the polarity of the applied voltage is inverted. In a final study, the near-field based transmission-line driving of rod antenna systems is thoroughly explored. Perfect impedance matching, corresponding to zero back-reflection, is achieved when the antenna acts as a generalized coherent perfect absorber at a specific frequency. It thus collects all guided, surface-plasmon mediated input power and transduces it to other nonradiative and radiative dissipation channels. The coherent interplay of losses and interference effects turns out to be of paramount importance for this delicate scenario, which is systematically obtained for various antenna resonances. By means of the here developed semi-analytical toolbox, even more complex nanorod chains, supporting topologically nontrivial localized edge states, are studied. The results presented in this work facilitate the design of complex locally driven antenna systems for optical wireless on-chip communication, subwavelength pixels, and loss-compensated integrated plasmonic nanocircuitry which extends to the realm of topological plasmonics.}, subject = {Plasmonik}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Ochs2022, author = {Ochs, Maximilian Thomas}, title = {Electrically Connected Nano-Optical Systems: From Refined Nanoscale Geometries to Selective Molecular Assembly}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-29114}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-291140}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Metallic nano-optical systems allow to confine and guide light at the nanoscale, a fascinating ability which has motivated a wide range of fundamental as well as applied research over the last two decades. While optical antennas provide a link between visible radiation and localized energy, plasmonic waveguides route light in predefined pathways. So far, however, most experimental demonstrations are limited to purely optical excitations, i.e. isolated structures are illuminated by external lasers. Driving such systems electrically and generating light at the nanoscale, would greatly reduce the device footprint and pave the road for integrated optical nanocircuitry. Yet, the light emission mechanism as well as connecting delicate nanostructures to external electrodes pose key challenges and require sophisticated fabrication techniques. This work presents various electrically connected nano-optical systems and outlines a comprehensive production line, thus significantly advancing the state of the art. Importantly, the electrical connection is not just used to generate light, but also offers new strategies for device assembly. In a first example, nanoelectrodes are selectively functionalized with self-assembled monolayers by charging a specific electrode. This allows to tailor the surface properties of nanoscale objects, introducing an additional degree of freedom to the development of metal-organic nanodevices. In addition, the electrical connection enables the bottom-up fabrication of tunnel junctions by feedback-controlled dielectrophoresis. The resulting tunnel barriers are then used to generate light in different nano-optical systems via inelastic electron tunneling. Two structures are discussed in particular: optical Yagi-Uda antennas and plasmonic waveguides. Their refined geometries, accurately fabricated via focused ion beam milling of single-crystalline gold platelets, determine the properties of the emitted light. It is shown experimentally, that Yagi-Uda antennas radiate light in a specific direction with unprecedented directionality, while plasmonic waveguides allow to switch between the excitation of two propagating modes with orthogonal near-field symmetry. The presented devices nicely demonstrate the potential of electrically connected nano-optical systems, and the fabrication scheme including dielectrophoresis as well as site-selective functionalization will inspire more research in the field of nano-optoelectronics. In this context, different future experiments are discussed, ranging from the control of molecular machinery to optical antenna communication.}, subject = {Nanooptik}, language = {en} }