Quasi-BIC Modes in All-Dielectric Slotted Nanoantennas for Enhanced Er 3+ Emission.
Boris KalinicTiziana CescaIonut Gabriel BalasaMirko TrevisaniAndrea JacassiStefan A MaierRiccardo SapienzaGiovanni MatteiPublished in: ACS photonics (2023)
In the quest for new and increasingly efficient photon sources, the engineering of the photonic environment at the subwavelength scale is fundamental for controlling the properties of quantum emitters. A high refractive index particle can be exploited to enhance the optical properties of nearby emitters without decreasing their quantum efficiency, but the relatively modest Q -factors ( Q ∼ 5-10) limit the local density of optical states (LDOS) amplification achievable. On the other hand, ultrahigh Q -factors (up to Q ∼ 10 9 ) have been reported for quasi-BIC modes in all-dielectric nanostructures. In the present work, we demonstrate that the combination of quasi-BIC modes with high spectral confinement and nanogaps with spacial confinement in silicon slotted nanoantennas lead to a significant boosting of the electromagnetic LDOS in the optically active region of the nanoantenna array. We observe an enhancement of up to 3 orders of magnitude in the photoluminescence intensity and 2 orders of magnitude in the decay rate of the Er 3+ emission at room temperature and telecom wavelengths. Moreover, the nanoantenna directivity is increased, proving that strong beaming effects can be obtained when the emitted radiation couples to the high Q -factor modes. Finally, via tuning the nanoanntenna aspect ratio, a selective control of the Er 3+ electric and magnetic radiative transitions can be obtained, keeping the quantum efficiency almost unitary.