Photon–plasmon hybrid emission and its emission tuning in metal–dielectric–metal planar microcavity

Abstract

Surface plasmon coupled emission molds the flow of optical energy and, hence, it is feasible to alter the spatial distribution of emission and customize the optical ambience around fluorophores by integrating them into plasmonic or photonic structures. Our current study examines such spatial distribution of emission from metal–dielectric–metal planar cavities. In addition to photonic emission and enhanced plasmonic emission, we observed photon–plasmon hybrid emission from these structures. With this hybrid emission, angular emission patterns specific to particular applications can be achieved by flexibly altering the design parameters of the plasmonic or photonic substrates. We envision that being able to regulate and tune the emitted light at the nanoscale will facilitate the advancement of a new generation of fluorescence-based sensors, instruments, and other emission-based devices.