Near-Field Light Design with Colloidal Quantum Dots
for Photonics and Plasmonics
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Abstract
Colloidal
quantum-dots are bright, tunable emitters that are ideal
for studying near-field quantum-optical interactions. However, their
colloidal nature has hindered their facile and precise placement at
desired near-field positions, particularly on the structured substrates
prevalent in plasmonics. Here, we use high-resolution electro-hydrodynamic
printing (<100 nm feature size) to deposit countable numbers of
quantum dots on both flat and structured substrates with a few nanometer
precision. We also demonstrate that the autofocusing capability of
the printing method enables placement of quantum dots preferentially
at plasmonic hot spots. We exploit this control and design diffraction-limited
photonic and plasmonic sources with arbitrary wavelength, shape, and
intensity. We show that simple far-field illumination can excite these
near-field sources and generate fundamental plasmonic wave-patterns
(plane and spherical waves). The ability to tailor subdiffraction
sources of plasmons with quantum dots provides a complementary technique
to traditional scattering approaches, offering new capabilities for
nanophotonics