Light confinement structures offer tantalizing applications
in
a wide variety of areas where light–matter interactions play
a crucial role. Considering optical nonlinearity, light localization
in nanoscale mode volumes may trigger nonlinear optical activity even
at relatively low input optical powers. Here, we demonstrate the excitation
of the Tamm plasmon mode of a metal–polymer photonic crystal
hybrid structure, resonantly invoking absorptive nonlinear behavior
of organic BODIPY dye incorporated in the spacer layer. Third-order
nonlinear optical measurements are carried out using the z-scan technique with a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser delivering 7 ns pulses
at 532 nm. While the bare sample exhibits negligible optical nonlinearity,
the sample in the Tamm plasmon structure showed a large nonlinear
absorption coefficient of 1.2 × 106 cm/GW at 0.27
GW/cm2 peak excitation intensity. Our results demonstrate
a simple and efficient method to create a nonlinear nanophotonic platform
valuable for applications in all-optical information processing.
Metal nanoclusters of atomic precision have recently
emerged as
potential candidates for nonlinear optical applications owing to their
strong quantum confinement effects. Herein, we report the nonlinear
absorptive and refractive properties of platinum-17 (Pt17) metal nanoclusters stabilized by carbon monoxide and triphenyl
phosphine ligands. The open aperture z-scan studies in the nanosecond
regime reveal a transmittance dip at the focus characteristic of molecule-like
behavior and discrete energy levels. The clusters also exhibited a
significantly lower optical limiting threshold value and self-defocusing
behavior which can be deployed to resist intense optical radiation.
We also demonstrate a photonic crystal cavity-assisted enhancement
in the absorptive nonlinearity of the synthesized clusters as a result
of intense field localization in the defect layer. Our study throws
light on the application of these ultrasmall structures in nanophotonic
devices.
The insertion of a nonlinear material at the photonic crystal cavity leads to a strong interaction between photonic modes and the electronic state of the introduced material, resulting in phenomenally...
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