Structure-Enhanced Photoluminescence and Lasing in Aggregated Silver Films Coupled to Optically Amplifying Media

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Non-technical Description: This study provides a scientific basis for the development of novel light emitting materials which are implemented to attain nanoscale lasers. The project utilizes a variety of microscopy and optical techniques to investigate the structural characteristics of these materials and their light emitting properties. The overarching goal of this study is to achieve cost efficient materials which may be readily fabricated on large scales, to yield new types of ultra-compact lasers. Students participating in this project are receiving broad interdisciplinary training in optical and materials sciences. Undergraduate students conduct research, working alongside graduate students, while learning a variety of materials fabrication and characterization techniques, computational methods and digital image analysis. The PI is leading efforts to improve undergraduate science literacy through the instruction of a newly developed course on the topic of Nanoscience and Society. The PI's commitment to increasing the representation of women in the scientific disciplines further leverages research activities to help broaden the participation of underrepresented groups.Technical Description: The project aims to develop active plasmonic materials comprising disordered silver films and amplifying media. A main challenge to implementation of random materials in device applications remains attaining materials in which nanoscale structural irregularities and local morphological variations do not impede desired device functionality. This research project addresses this challenge by aiming to develop active plasmonic materials whose optical properties are reproducibly controlled through the materials' statistical attributes. The structures under investigation comprise chemically grown aggregated silver films coupled to several model amplifying media. The approach utilizes a variety of spectroscopic, structural and numerical characterization techniques, and it intends to delineate fundamental relations between enhanced light emission and statistical structural characteristics in the fabricated materials. A set of studies aims to examine variations in light emission as the metal films evolve morphologically, and delineate scaling relations between light intensity and statistical characteristics. This part also addresses lasing phenomena in aggregated silver films coupled to amplifying media. A second set of studies addresses temperature controlled structure-enhanced plasmonic lasers, achieved in different gain systems, including plasmonic Si Raman lasers and Ag2O/Ag chromophore complexes, with the aim of developing robust control mechanisms to reliably tune amplified optical output.