ABSTRACT
A direct route to silica-polypyrrole core-shell nanoparticles has been used to design new nanocomposites, in which the conducting part is then wrapped by an external silica shell in order to have finally neutral nanoparticles. The nanocomposites are characterized by TEM, spectroscopy, electrochemistry and thermal gravimetric analysis, demonstrating that the external silica shell actually insulates the conjugated polymer from the outer medium. Finally the electrorheological properties of these nanocomposites are checked in a dielectrophoretic device in which the motion of the particles induced by an external electric field can be used to monitor a switch of the light transmission properties.
Subject(s)
Nanocomposites/chemistry , Nanotechnology/methods , Rheology/methods , Electrochemistry/methods , Equipment Design , Microscopy, Electron, Transmission , Molecular Conformation , Nanostructures/chemistry , Polymers/chemistry , Pyrroles/chemistry , Silicon Dioxide/chemistry , Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared , Thermogravimetry , Ultraviolet RaysABSTRACT
Photonic wires are the simplest extended low-dimensional systems. Photonic crystal confinement confers them a divergent density of states at zero-group-velocity points, which leads to enhancement of spontaneous emission rates [D. Kleppner, Phys. Rev. Lett. 47, 233 (1981)10.1103/Phys. Rev. Lett. 47.233]. We experimentally evidence, for the first time, the spectral signature of these Purcell factor singularities, using the out-of-plane emission of InAs quantum dots buried in GaAs/AlGaAs based photonic crystal based wire. Additionally, in-plane collection at the wire exit shows large enhancements of the signal at some of the density of states singularities.
ABSTRACT
In a multimode photonic-crystal waveguide, we observe strong enhancement of the photoluminescence of embedded quantum dots at the edges of the so-called mini-stopband that were opened by Bragg diffraction between two guided modes. Taking into account light collection, we relate this observation to the singular photon density of states that is characteristic of a one-dimensional photon system. Furthermore, we quantify by how much the radiation losses smooth the divergence. For the first time to our knowledge, a clear account of the control of spontaneous emission in a one-dimensional system is thus demonstrated.
ABSTRACT
We present a method of direct measurement of spectral gain and corresponding data in photonic crystal waveguides defined in heterostructures on InP substrates. The method makes use of two photopumping beams, one for gain generation, the other for amplification probing. The results show a clear enhancement of gain at spectral regions of low-group velocity, namely at the edges of the so-called mini-stopband of a three-missing rows wide photonic crystal waveguide.
ABSTRACT
We propose an add-drop filter consisting of two adjacent waveguides carved into a two-dimensional photonic crystal that is etched through a standard guiding structure. This filter is based on distributed energy transfer via the frequency-selective intermediate conversion of the fundamental guided mode to a high-order low-group-velocity mode. This geometry circumvents the fabrication sensitivity on the single-hole scale of previous cavity-based designs. Combining distributed energy transfer and reduced group velocity preserves compactness. The design is analytically optimized with a coupled-mode approach.
ABSTRACT
Mode coupling phenomena, manifested by transmission "ministopbands", occur in two-dimensional photonic crystal channel waveguides. The huge difference in the group velocities of the coupled modes is a new feature with respect to the classical Bragg reflection occurring, e.g., in distributed feedback lasers. We show that an adequate ansatz of the classical coupled-mode theory remarkably well accounts for this new phenomenon. The fit of experimental transmission data from GaAs-based photonic crystal waveguides then leads to an accurate determination of the propagation losses of both fundamental and higher, low-group-velocity modes.
ABSTRACT
We demonstrate in the near infrared the coupled-resonator optical waveguide (CROW) concept that was recently proposed by Yariv et al. [Opt. Lett.24, 711 (1999)]. Two-dimensional photonic crystals have been used to define, in a GaAs-based waveguiding heterostructure, an array of micrometer-sized hexagonal cavities coupled through thin walls. With the photoexcitation of InAs quantum dots as an internal source, the transmission spectra of the coupled resonators show marked minibands and minigaps, in agreement with theoretical predictions.
ABSTRACT
We report on the nonlinear laserlike emission from semiconductor microcavities in the strong coupling regime. Under resonant continuous wave excitation we observe a highly emissive state. The energy, dispersion, and spatial extent of this state is measured and is found to be dispersionless and spatially localized. This state coexists with luminescence that follows the usual cavity-polariton dispersion. It is attributed to the amplification of luminescence by a parametric gain due to cavity-polariton scattering. Despite the resonant excitation at 1.6 K, we observe no sign of Bose-Einstein condensation nor Boser action.
